A Hero's Legacy
by Blade018
Summary: Despite discovering that his father wasn't really keen on reuniting with his son, Finn the Human had refused to give up hope on finding more of his kinfolk. So when Finn is spiritually told by Billy that there could possibly be another relative of him alive, how far will he go to find that person? Chapter updates imminent. Rated "T" for certain scenes. I do not own Adventure Time
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The Land of Ooo, a generally auspicious territory of peace and prosperity, was not always the positive landscape that it currently is. The inhabitants of the territory know of the Land's grim history. The infamous tragedy known as the Mushroom War claims responsibility for the current outlook of the land. Prior to the event, The Land of Ooo was just your average urban city/state, consisting of both humans and animals alike, as was the rest of planet earth. However, such luxury came to an abrupt halt when an explosion with effects similar to that of an atom bomb either wiped out or mutated majority of life on the planet.

Yes, despite the grim description, those that survived the explosion have fared quite well over time. Even though the landscape suggests that the people have reverted back to pseudo-medieval times, modern technology is still present in this time, albeit very scarce. For the best quality, I feel that the story itself should remain consistent with the actual storyline in the show.

**Characters**

Finn the Human: Protagonist. He is the hero/champion of the Land of Ooo. He is the only "pure" human alive on the planet. Years of fighting demons and other enemies have made him very strong, magically and physically. Seriously, Finn is insanely durable. Majority of the story will be told from his point of view.

Jake the Dog: Best friend and ally to Finn the Human. Has magical qualities including being able to stretch his body in numerous ways or lengths.

Marceline the Vampire Queen: Friend to Finn &amp; Jake. Despite her rough and aggressive style, she is rather tender-hearted and at times, sensitive.

Princess Bubblegum: Current ruler of the candy kingdom. She can be a little vulgar at times, but she shows a lot of respect and loyalty to her people. At one point, Finn did have feelings for her, but he has since moved on.

Alex Eerie: My OC in this story. Alex is your general anti-hero and/or rogue. He is a little hot-headed, but is very strong and agile. He fits the Robin Hood persona in the story, and fights for those who can't fight for themselves. More about him will be revealed as the story progresses.

Ash: "The world's greatest douche bag" as I call him. He's vain, narcissistic and sexist, to be brief. He was once Marceline's boyfriend, but thanks to Finn, that is no longer the case. He will serve as the primary antagonist to my OC in this story.

Maja the Sky Witch: Secondary antagonist to Alex in this story. She is a surprisingly decent character, despite her connection with Ash in the series (God, I hate that guy…). Nonetheless, she still is a villain, and in Alex's case, somewhat insane.

Huntress Wizard: Another rogue character in the series. Here, she is an ally to Alex in the Story. She is laid back and overconfident, but is quite competent against her enemies.

Billy: The original hero of Ooo. He was Finn's mentor before he was killed by the Lich King. Although he is deceased, he still brings wisdom and help to Finn when he needs it.

"**Eh, I think that could've come out better, as introductions are not my strong suit. To be fair, this is my first story on FanFiction. There will be other important characters in this story. However, this bunch will be the focal point amongst the others. Please review! I welcome any and all opinions from other writers. Thank you, and enjoy the story!"**


	2. Chapter 1: Realization

"Wow, the night sky sure is breathtaking out here…" Those were the words that escaped Finn's mouth as he was laying down in a dandelion filled meadow. He let out a long sigh while staring into the vast universe around him. Finn the Human was always a rather outgoing person among other people. When he was alone with thoughts, he was in fact, quite lonely. All of the fame and repute he had received for his duties for the Land of Ooo couldn't fill the void which haunted him constantly. "It's so beautiful… Yet, it still doesn't help. Father, why didn't you want to see me?" Finn spoke with disdain. His father, Martin, upon being freed from the Crystal Citadel, wasn't exactly much of a father to Finn in that short instance. Quite frankly, you could actually consider him a bit of a jackass among other things. He left him with a broken heart and a broken arm. Not exactly your type of father, now is it?

"Finn?" a voice called out in a soft yet determined tone. Finn looked up to see the stars forming the face of the legendary hero, Billy. "It seems like you could use some company", Billy said to him. Finn calmly spoke to him, "I take it you know what went down, don't you?" "Yes, I am aware of the events that occurred in the citadel. I am also aware that you are less than pleased with the outcome, correct?" Billy said. Finn's only response to that question was a look that could be summed up by the words "What do you think?" Billy responded back with a look that said "My apologies, Finn". With that, Finn's negative demeanor subsided a little. He was very upset indeed, but he refused to take it out on his mentor. "I didn't mean to come off like that, honestly" Finn replied. "Though, life hasn't exactly been kind to me as of recent". Billy simply nodded in agreement. "Finn, you mustn't lose faith due to one sour event," Billy spoke. "He may still come back for you." Finn sighed and responded, "If such a thing were to happen, then I would be interested." Finn rose up and turned around, facing the forest behind him. "It's really hard for me right now. I honestly believed he cared for me. Perhaps I shouldn't put too much faith in just him right now" Finn said dismally. "Yes, but that doesn't mean you should give up faith altogether." "Oh and why is that?" Finn retorted. "I put my life on the line trying to find him, as did Jake. I was so happy to finally find another human in this lifetime, let alone a family member, only to be shut down in the worst way!" Tears were rolling down his cheeks at this point. "So why shouldn't I feel this way, Billy? Why Shouldn't I?!" "Because," Billy started, "I never said he was the only person in your family who is still alive…"

Finn gasped and turned around with a look of shock and disbelief. "What did you sa-" Upon turning around, Billy's face had faded, however he could still hear his voice in the wind. "_Don't give up hope because of one downside, Finn. You must have faith in your people and your loved ones. You never know, they may just find you…" _With that, the wind stopped, and Finn's entire demeanor changed drastically. Finn had gone from miserable to hopeful in just a matter of seconds. With a grin as wide as the sea, he suddenly darted into the forest back to the treehouse where he and Jake live. "I knew it! Martin couldn't have been the only one! No matter what it takes I will find my family! On that you can bet!" With his head high rushed back to his home. _Good luck, Hero._

_Finn's Home_

Finn, in a moment of blinded optimism, rushed back into his home, actually knocking the door halfway across the house. Jake was in the kitchen with BMO, playing his violin. BMO was just being his carefree self. Neither one of them were fazed by the fact that the front door was demolished. "Jake! Jake! Jake! Jake! Jake! Jake! Jaaaaaake!" Finn yelled out. Jake simply yawned and turned around to face his best friend. "Oh hey Finn, what's up?" "Bro, I have huge news! No, GIGANTIC news!" Finn was jumping up and down as if he were on a sugar rush. "I think there may be other members of my family out there, dude!" BMO tried to speak to Finn, but no sound escaped his mouth. "Um, BMO…" Finn said, confused. "What happened to him, Jake?" "Oh, I muted him because he was raging over a board game we were playing" was Jake's reply. Given the circumstances, you'd think Jake was the one raging instead of it being the other way around. "Anyway, what was it you were saying about your family?" "Oh right! Billy hinted that other members of my family may still be alive!" Finn said. Jake's ears shot up with this. "Really?" Jake looked at his friend with a concerned look. He was worried about Finn, given what happened at the Crystal Citadel. Even though he wanted to help Finn, he was not going to let anyone take advantage of him. "Jake, I know what happened last time was a flop, but I'm not willing to give up yet. Will you help me search for my family?" He said, hoping not to be shut down by him. "Does it involve us going to the Nightosphere?" Jake replied." I imagine it wouldn't" Finn said. Jake stood up and threw his violin behind him, which broke a window in the process. "Then you know I'm in!" Jake responded proudly.

With this, Finn ran outside and climbed to the highest point of the tree house, with Jake following right behind him. "What time is it?" Finn raised his fist in the air. Jake said "Adventure Time!" and bumped fists with him. "Although, maybe we should start in the morning. It is going on midnight." Finn nodded, but just as they were about to climb back down, Jake was struck in the head by a rock. "Ow!" He picked up the rock, which had a small piece of paper on it. The text was small, but he could still make out what it said. _Unmute me, or else…_

**There you have it, folks! My first official chapter for this story is now done. Remember that any feedback is welcome. Chapter 2 awaits!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Search is On!

As expected, the next day arrived for the blond warrior. Even though the day ahead would be rather treacherous for him and Jake, the sun rose up, and there was not a cloud for miles. Jake was already up, preparing to embark on their adventure. Meanwhile, Finn was still out cold and drooling in his sleeping bag. _You must have faith in your people and your loved ones. You never know, they may just find you. Finn… Finn… _"Finn!" "Aah!" Finn jumped up in surprise. In front of him was BMO, who was in a better mood after being un-muted that night. "You were sleeping for a long time, Finn." Finn groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Jeez, what time is it?" He spoke, trying to fully wake up. "It just turned 10:00" said BMO. "Oh ok…" Finn lay back down on the bed, it took him a second or two to process what BMO said. "10:00?!" Finn shouted, and then jumped out of his sleeping bag, throwing BMO off the bed and ran like a madman to the kitchen. "Wait, Finn! You forgot your-" BMO tried to stop Finn, but he didn't hear him in time. "Jake, I'm ready! Sorry to keeping you waiting, bro!" Jake turned to face his friend, but immediately covered his eyes. "Whoa, Finn! I think you're a little too free this morning." With this, Finn looked down, he was wearing his blue shirt, but his blue pants were missing. "Eep!" Finn blushed, and then darted back into the bedroom. "BMO," Finn whispered in a mortified tone. "Why didn't you tell me that I wasn't wearing my pants?" "I tried to tell you, Finn, but you ran out so quickly… Come to think of it, why didn't you put on your pajamas last night?" "Because I-" Finn stopped before he finished his response. He remembered that for some reason he had only half stripped before he slipped into his sleeping bag (He was wearing underwear, mind you).

A few minutes later, Finn met Jake outside the tree house, fully clothed of course. His signature green backpack and white hat were present as well. The only difference was that Finn now lets his hair be visible when he's out adventuring. "Are you ready, buddy?" Finn spoke. "I'm ready, pal!" And with that Finn hopped on top of Jake, who grew larger to gain more speed. The two were off and running on their quest. BMO looked out of the window, watching the two disappear in the distance with only one thought in mind. "Be careful out there, guys…"

_The Jade Forest_

The two were relatively quiet during the first hour that had passed. Both of the heroes had their own thoughts running through their minds. Jake was very on edge about the situation at hand. _This makes absolutely no since at all. After Finn lost his arm in the Crystal Citadel, he wouldn't even dare to talk about doing anything like this, let alone actually going through with it… so why now? _Finn on the other hand, although he was a bit more upbeat than Jake, was still a bit pensive about his mentor's words. _It's been months since I did anything like this… I don't want to pass up this opportunity, but what if it is just a lost cause? _Finn instantly brushed off that thought and kept his head high. He was not going to be let down twice.

The two eventually approached a stream in the forest. The small streaks of sunlight made the area look very inviting. It was here that Jake decided to break the silence after stopping for a second. "Hey, Finn?" "Yeah, Bro?" Finn replied to his friend. "Did Billy happen to mention where or when we might encounter the rest of your family?" He said. Finn shook his head. "No. Actually, he disappeared before I could get more information from him." Jake groaned, and continued to move. "Somehow, I'm not surprised by that" Finn looked at him and said, "Oh, how so?" "Well, Billy has always had that sort of cliffhanger motive when he talks about certain things. Remember when we had to find all of the jewels for the Enchiridion?" "Yeah, so where are you getting at?" Finn said to Jake. "Well, like that, and the mission to free your father, both have had pretty dismal results, to say the least. To be completely honest Finn, I think this adventure could put a lot more than just your arm at risk, bro." Finn looked at Jake in disbelief. It sounded almost like Jake had little interest in wanting to help him. "Are you saying that you don't want to go with me?" Finn spoke. "Because I can handle this on my own." "No, Bro! It's just that I don't want to see you get hurt any worse than what you have. Can I help it if I'm a little bit on edge about this whole thing?" Upon Hearing this, Finn sighed. Jake was only looking out for his well-being. "I'm sorry, Jake, I know you're worried about me, but I'm just not willing to accept that my family is completely gone. Even now, I question if what Billy said was true. He may have only said that to boost my spirit-"

Finn suddenly stopped talking. Jake stopped in his tracks the minute he did. Both of them had heard a sound close to their location. Finn reached into his backpack, and pulled out what appeared to be a throwing dagger. He scanned the area carefully… _Somebody is watching us…_Finn thought, as he looked around him. He noticed out of the corner of his left eye that a bush had lightly shaken. That alone was enough to make him chuck the blade dead center into the bush. A shadowy creature darted out of the bushes and landed a few feet in front of Finn &amp; Jake. Finn's throwing dagger was comically implanted in what appeared to be that creature's rear end. "What the heck, man?!" Finn wasn't aware of the creature's species, but Jake knew he was a Crabbit. Finn hopped down and entered a Muay Thai stance. "Who are you, and why were you spying on us?" Finn demanded. The Crabbit simply chuckled at his response. "I regret to inform you that my liege has other plans for you, Hero." Finn could sense that something was amiss about this. His fears were answered when several goblin shamans leaped out of the trees and surrounded them on all sides.

"Seize the human!" One of the shamans launched a barrage of icicles at Finn, but Jake repelled all of them away. Finn then jumped over Jake and proceeded to roundhouse kick the shaman that had initially attacked him, sending him a good five meters away in the opposite direction. The shaman broke an oak tree in half upon collision with it. The remaining shamans proceeded to launch various elemental attacks at the two who were evading the attacks with ease. Jake managed to grab three of the shamans and hurled them halfway across the forest. Finn was simply "going to town" on three of the remaining four goblins. Two of them were already knocked senseless. The third goblin launched a large sphere of fire at Finn. Remembering a technique that Flame Princess had shown him, he held his palm out and actually managed to absorb the sphere into his hand. His arm had a bright red resonance, and held his hand out at his foe, while the goblin looked on with a horrified expression that made him look as if he'd had an accident in his pants. "Fiiiiiire!" Finn yelled out, and a straight blast of fire shot right at the goblin, nearly incinerating him on the spot. "Come on, Crabbit! You're making this laughably easy!" Finn was about to celebrate his victory, when all of a sudden, his vision went black. Finn was struck with a spiking spell which in turn, rendered him unconscious. "Finn!" Jake yelled out at the Crabbit and proceeded to charge him, but before he could even get his fist to connect with his jaw, a surge of electricity paralyzed him.

"Aaugh!" Jake yelled out as he collapsed to the ground. They forgot about the last remaining goblin that was cowardly hiding behind a tree. Jake could only look on in agony as the two carried Finn off into the distance. "Finn… No…" That was all Jake could muster before he blacked out. A couple of hours later, the Crabbit and the last goblin shaman entered a portal leading to an alternate dimension. Upon exiting the portal, they arrived at a large house with nothing supporting it besides gravity. They entered the home and laid the now asleep Finn on the floor. "Did you retrieve my target for me, Crabbit?" A feminine voice called out from one of the many rooms in the house. "Yes, my mistress. The hero of Ooo is now yours to do with as you see fit." A cloaked figure emerged from one of the upstairs rooms in the home. "Well done, Crabbit. I really was not expecting you to succeed in this task." "Don't go there." He replied. "This kid sure put up one heck of a fight." "I see." The figure removed her hood, revealing her identity as Maja, the Sky Witch. "Enlighten me, what happened to the rest of your unit?" She said, looking at the one remaining goblin. "They were all neutralized, my liege" The goblin spoke. "No matter. I have what I need. You two may go." With that, the goblin and the Crabbit each entered a different room. She giggled to herself, she was rather proud of seeing Finn in her possession, despite not doing a thing to capture him. _Everything is playing out quite nicely, today. Soon my collection will be complete! _She picked up Finn and carried him like a fireman carrying a wounded civilian into one of the rooms in the lower levels of the house. What would happen after that would change everything.

**Ok, part of that could have been way better, but I don't think it's too bad. So just what does Maja want with Finn, and will Jake be able to save him before any harm is done to him? Find out in the next chapter! Please review! Opinions are always welcome!**


	4. Chapter 3: Hero Meets Bandit

_Jake's POV_

"Uhh… What happened…?" I woke up in the middle of the Jade Forest, a little dizzy. I wasn't sure how long I was out. In fact, a lot of the light in the forest had faded, but not completely. "Jeez, I feel like I got hit by a truck. Wait where's-" It was then that I remembered what happened. "Finn!" I started running like a madman. "Finn! Finn, where are you?!" I was in such a mad panic that he ran until the point he was running in circles. "Dang it! I just knew something bad was gonna happen! I've got to find my bro!" Jake then proceeded to follow the stream that he and Finn stopped at before back out to the Meadow. "Think Jake, Think. Who would a Crabbit most likely be working for? Most Crabbits pledge loyalty to a certain person or service." With that, Jake ran to the first reasonable place he could think of… The Candy Kingdom. "Surely PB knows just what the heck is going on around here. Or at least I hope so…" I had to hurry. Who knows what those guys might do to Finn.

_Maja's House_

While Jake was hurrying to keep his sanity intact, Maja was preparing to add Finn to her many prisoners in her "house of horrors." "Teeheehee!" Maja laughed to herself in such a haughty manner. "My collection is just getting better and better. Now, let's see how my most prized possession is feeling today." She practically squealed in delight at that comment. As she opened one of the rooms in the basement, you could see cell among cell, consisting of everything from Candy People and wildlife, to actual demons. The cells reached down a long hallway, and then eventually into an open square area. There were also many enchanted skeletons doubling as the guards throughout that area. Farther down, there was a mess hall (sort of), and an arena-like room where the prisoners would go to blow off steam. The kicker was that the entire "room" was actually a twisted dimension where anyone possessing special powers or magic, besides herself, would have their abilities nullified. "Well, isn't this a gracious audience?" I assure you; gracious was definitely not the word to describe their emotions. All of the prisoners were more or less miserable. "What's the matter, claustrophobic?" Maja said to a specific group of cells near the end of the hall. This was understandable, given that most of the cells were packed to the ceiling. One prisoner in particular, had Maja's attention for quite a while now. At the farthest end of the room, there was a cell containing only one prisoner. This prisoner had made quite a name for himself overtime. He was feared and envied by just about everyone, and for good reason as well. He was the most dangerous out of anyone in that prison.

"Oh, Aleeex!" Maja said in a singsongy voice. The prisoner, who was leisurely leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, made no effort to acknowledge his captor. "Still playing hard-to-get, I see. You can't play the silent game forever, you know." Maja giggled at him. The prisoner simply sighed and spoke in a nonchalant tone: "If by "playing hard to get" you mean me not giving a fluff, then you'd be right." "Alex, I'm surprised you're not as bubbly as the rest. I made your cell look the most inviting." She winked at him as she said that. "Ugh, crazy broad…" He said under his breath as he turned to the wall and the bed behind him to avoid facing her. Maja simply smirked at his response. "You should be honored that you're my most valuable treasure, Alex. I even got you a new cellmate." With that, the cell opened, and she tossed Finn in with him. "You two play nice!" Maja said, walking back to the main floor of her house. Once the door shut behind her, one of the prisoners in the cell in front of Finn's spoke to Alex. "Seems like you got some fresh meat, kid." Another spoke out, "Not that much muscle on that guy. My bet's on the rogue." More prisoners simply followed suit. "Hey, Alex! Make him hurt, pal!" "No Mercy!" "Kick his arse, Fella!" The comments continued to flow throughout the cell until a buzzer went off. The cell doors opened, meaning the prisoners could be let out into the square. Alex, along with a good few prisoners stayed in their respective cells, which closed after about a minute. What would happen next, would be a revolutionary moment for him.

_Jake's POV_

After running for what seemed like an eternity, I eventually made it to the exterior wall of the Candy Kingdom. I went and hopped over the wall without warning. "Move! Move out of the way!" In my rush I managed to knock over one of the gumball guardians that were standing idle. This actually sparked off a domino effect, one after another, falling on top of each other and flattening anything under them. "Aaaaahhhh!" The candy people were screaming and scrambling for cover. As a result, one of the candy turrets that was being moved back to the castle was accidently fired off when I came through. Part of the candy wall was decimated as a result. Panting, I made it to PB's castle. "What the glob?!" She yelled out from the top of the castle. I stretched up to the window that she was peering out of. "Bubblegum- hah- hah-" I could barely get the words out of my mouth. "I, need your, help. Hah- hah- quick!" Princess Bubblegum was quite ticked at the destruction that was half her kingdom. "Jake, what is your problem?! You could've killed someone!" She was pointing at the broken piece of candy wall. "Forget that right now, I Need your help! You see, Fi-" "Just what could be so ding-dong important that you had to go on a wrecking spree of my kingdom?!" Bubblegum cut me off. "Because-" "And just look my citizens! They can't even fathom what just happened, Jake!" "I know, but-" "How could you be so freaking careless as to just burst in here like a madman and…" I'm not going to lie; I was hitting the end of my rope very quickly… "Dang it, Bubblegum! Finn's life could be in danger right now! I really need your help!"

She stopped upon hearing this. Yes, PB was pretty darn mad about the bedlam, but she couldn't ignore the fact that her friend was in trouble. "What do you mean he's in danger?" "I mean, Finn is in a possible life-or-death situation. You see, we were heading on a quest to-" She cut me off yet again. This time, however, she was much more concerned with my situation. "Come in here, quick! Tell me what happened, Jake." I wasted no time going into her lab. "Thanks, PB." She was stuck up, but when it came down to her friends, nothing else was important. _Why aren't you always like this…?_

_Finn's POV_

"Ugh… What the stuff happened...?" I came to on a cold floor. My head hurt pretty badly, and my vision was slowly trying to adjust. "Aw, crud." I facepalmed myself as I said that. Turning around, I realized I was in a prison cell. "Dang it! I got too careless fighting those jerks." I said that out loud, thinking I was alone. "Heheheheh." I heard a voice from my left. I quickly turned to face the person who was chuckling. "Hey, buddy! Laughing at other people's misfortunes will get you hurt, you know." The hooded figure simply continued to chuckle. "Buddy," The figure spoke in a calm, yet convincing tone. "Let's get one thing straight here; I don't take lightly to anyone around these parts." "Is that a fact?" I retorted. I had the notion that I was in for a fight. "You're darn right, kid." He replied. It seemed that he was rather confident of himself. "Good." I said, cracking my knuckles. "It's been a while since I've had a real challenge." Upon hearing this, figure started to turn to face me. "Well then, let's see what you're made of, kid" He said. Looking at him, he took on a stance that I wasn't familiar with. "I'll give you fair warning, though. Most guys who decide to tangle with me end up eating the floor, sometimes _Literally_." He let off a low chuckle, which made me gulp. "Hey guys! Looks like we got a tussle over here!" One of the prisoners yelled out, prompting the attention of all of the adjacent cells. "Whoa, kid! Don't you know what you're up against?", a chained minotaur said to me. "Psha! Let the kid knuckle up. After all, it's his funeral", another prisoner declared. _Wow, no love... _I thought to myself. "Spare yourself the humility and pain and just yield, bro. That's the only notice I'm gonna give you", He said to me. Taking a stance, I stood my ground against the figure. I was not gonna be beaten by this guy. "You mean me, or you?" I replied. "Oh, so unwise..." As soon as he said that, he threw a fast kick straight at my head. "Ah!" I had narrowly seen the kick coming and ducked. "Oh, it's on dude! Retaliating with some swift jabs and hooks cause the prison to break out in cheers and applause. The guy was fast with his limbs, throwing one roundhouse kick after another without losing balance. "Well," I said while dodging a kick. "You actually can throw down." "Ha! You vastly underestimate my abilities, mortal", he said. We continued to go at it for about three minutes. The two of us weren't getting much of anywhere, due to neither of us being able to cleanly hit the other. "Impressive reflexes..." He said. "For a Beautopian." That made me a little angry, specifically because of what I actually am. "Why you..." I made a fake-out motion of a high kick and socked him straight in the chest, causing him to stumble. "Eat this, you butt!" With a straight jab, my fist connected with the figure's hood, knocking him to the floor.

The prisoners let out a gasp as he hit the floor. "Well now, what happened to all that bravado earlier?" I said while approaching him. His response was a low chuckle. "Big mistake, kid" He replied. I laughed at his response. "Come on, bro. I wanted a fight, not a sparring session." The prisoners let out an "ohhhhh" frome my joke. "How naive, bro." "Eh? Wha-" The next thing I know, my legs are swept from under me, causing me to fall on my back. He flipped back up and looked at me with his thumb up. "Basic rule in any fight: It ain't over til it's over!" "Ooohhhhhhhh!" The prisoners responded. My head was still trying to process what just happened. _He knows Capoeira?! _I thought to myself. My hat was halfway off my head and fixed in a crooked fashion. "You put up a valiant effort sir", said the figure as he grabbed my shoulder with one arm and made a fist with his other arm. "But alas, fate was against you here". He was ready to knock me out, but as soon as he saw my neck, he stopped and gasped. "What?" I was a little on edge, given that this guy's demeanor changed in an instant. "N- No way… No freaking way…" The figure let go of me and stepped backwards. He was practically stuttering at this point. "Dude, what's your deal?" I said to him while getting up. His reply was, "You're… You're Human!" I'm not gonna lie, this had me really confused. I figured most of the guys around here would know me. "Yeah, I'm human. What's it to you?" I said. "Everything." That was all he said before he started to approach me. I went into attack mode the second he did. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm a well-known hero, buddy." "Likewise," said the figure. Part of me was a little skeptical, but part of me was a little curious too. "So, I guess seeing the last human alive on the planet is a pretty big honor, isn't it." "The last human? Please, kid" He said to me. My mouth dropped when he said that. _Wait, does he know about other humans? Or is he… _"Good sir, allow me to show you what I mean." He took of the hood that he was using to conceal his face. What I saw almost made me pass out. "My glob… You're a… a…" That was all I could muster before he finished my sentence. "A human? Yes… and proud of it!

I couldn't believe my eyes. Standing in front of me was another living human being. He had messy brown hair, part of which partially brushed over his left eye. His eyes were lime green, and he had a small scar on his right cheek. He also had a Black and blue shirt underneath a blue and white jacket. He had brown gloves, jeans, and brown boots. He was also sporting what looked like a bandit's scarf around his neck. He was your basic outlaw, just in urban attire and, most importantly, human. My eyes began to water in unfathomable happiness. _I finally found a human in Ooo._ "Hey kid, you okay…?" He spoke to me. I snapped out of my daze. Just the sheer fact that one of my people was alive and well was too overwhelming. "Just… Just who are you?" He said to me. Trying to contain my excitement, I managed to force the words out of my mouth. I am Finn, Finn the Human, Champion of the land of Ooo, and the last pure human alive.

"Ah, you are the legendary Finn that everyone talks about. To be honest, I didn't think you were real" He said to me. _Legendary? I know I'm pretty well-known, but legendary…? _I thought. "Well Finn," he said, brushing his hair aside. "The people call me Eerie… Alex Eerie, Guardian of the East, and the only half-blood human alive." He said while holding his arm out. Shaking his hand, I was holding back tears. Similar to this morning, it took me a minute to realize what he said. "Wait, half-blood? What do you mean?" I asked him. "Well, you see-" Before he could finish, a loud buzzer went off and the prisoners who were outside of their cells returned as the skeleton guards commanded. Some of the skeletons were actually attacking the prisoners in the area. This alone really seemed to bother Alex. "I'm sorry, my friend. It'll have to wait." With that, he turned to face the cell bars. The prisoners in the cells around us did the same thing. _Wait, what's going on? _That was all I could think of while he looked on with a very serious look. One of the skeleton guards stood in the center of the hallway with a megaphone. "Attention, prisoners. There is a lockdown active as of this second. Anyone attempting to do anything which may be deemed suspicious will be taken down on sight." The way he said that statement was somewhat unnerving.

I just knew… Something big was about to go down…

**Chapter 3 is finally done. Finn is overjoyed about meeting Alex, and the feeling is mutual. However, there is still the problem of them being prisoners. Just what is about to happen, and can Jake and PB come up with a plan to rescue him? Find out in the next chapter! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 4: Rogue Rage

**Notice: Yeah… I understand that I kind of jumped the gun on the big reveal… No worries, the story will get better. Now then…**

_Jake's POV _

"Okay, Jake. Tell me everything that happened", Said Princess Bubblegum as she closed all of the windows and doors in the lab. I took a deep breath, and told PB everything as calmly as I could. "A Crabbit, you say?" PB looked very worried when she said that. "Jake, did that particular Crabbit have any outstanding features to it outside of its black shade?" I tried to think back to when he and the goblin shaman carried Finn away. "Yeah, I think it resembled a teddy bear from the back. At least I think that's what it looked like…" PB held her hands over her forehead and started pacing the room. "No, no, no, no! She's up to her old tricks again!" My heart rate shot up ridiculously fast when I heard this. "Who is, Princess?" She sighed and turned to me. "Maja, the Sky Witch. From what I know, she's a treasure hunter, but she doesn't always hunt for material treasure…" "Wait, what do you mean?" I said. "I mean, Maja tends to hunt for materials _AND_living organisms. Presumably, those she finds valuable, or alluring. Most treasure hunters have Crabbit Familiars and other dark entities as servants to do their bidding." I was sweating bullets at this point. "So what does she want with Finn?" PB frowned at my response. "If I didn't know any better… I'd say she was trying to add Finn to her vast collection of "Trophies"."

"Trophies?!" My face radiated pure horror at her reply. "Not my bro, PB!" I most certainly was not going to let anyone harm my bro. I'd sooner give my own life than watch that happen. "Tell me how to find this Maja character", I said to PB. "Now hold on, Jake" She said to me. "I know you're ready to go guns-a-blazing, but we can't just storm Maja's dimension without a plan." "I assure you I have a plan. A plan that involves me laying waste to anything in my path to rescue my bro!" PB squinted at me and said, "Just like you did with my kingdom, correct?" I really did cause some serious damage here, though. "Sorry, PB" I said. "Jake, what I mean is that Maja possesses some outrageously broken powers, powers on a dimensional scale! If we really are going to rescue Finn, then we need a strategy. It's getting dark out , so just running in there at this time would be foolhardy. We can use this time to plan our attack." "Sounds like a plan!" I triumphantly replied as we started to formulate our break-in…

_Finn's POV_

"What the heck are they doing?!" Something wasn't right; the guards were attacking all of the prisoners in the square. Those that had a chance to get back in their cells were able to avoid severe damage. Unfortunately, some weren't quite as lucky. "Stay away from her, you wretches!" In the middle of the square, a necromancer and his daughter were being assaulted by the skeleton guards and Maja's Crabbit. The necromancer, being relieved of his powers, was trying his hardest to stop the guards from harming his daughter, punching and kicking at each and every one of them, but to no avail. One of the guards electrocuted the necromancer, bringing him to his knees. "You should learn to respect authority, cretin. You might just live longer!" The Crabbit yelled at the necromancer. "Kaia, go back to our cell!" He yelled out to his daughter. It was the last thing he could say before he was hit with the same spiking spell that knocked me out earlier. "Daddy, no!" The little girl screamed and cried when her father collapsed on the ground, motionless. I was getting more and more pissed off as the situation unfolded. "Let that be a lesson to you kid; playing hero will only bring about more suffering." The Crabbit launched a thunderbolt at the girl. It just barely missed her, as she attempted to run away. The other prisoners yelled out negative responses and even threw their own clothing at the guards, which did absolutely nothing to deter them.

"Stop It!" I yelled out at the Crabbit, who only laughed at my statement. "You Idiot. Don't you realize there is no helping her?!" The girl was trapped in a corner and the skeleton guards were closing in on her. The girl was crying in genuine fear as the guards held spears up. "You prisoners should know your places! Now I'll have to make an example out of this child!" I was hopelessly trying to bend the cell bars to try and help the girl. "Guards, on my command, you will punish her." I was beginning to snap in the worst way possible. _Why are they doing this? Was no one going to stop this madness?! _It was then that I finally noticed that something wasn't right with Alex. His hair was flowing around as if the wind was blowing it. Also, his eyes had turned to a bright lavender shade, and his canines were a tad bit longer than usual. The scariest part was his expression. It was a look of pure disgust and rage so intimidating that it would make even the likes of Chuck Norris think twice about provoking him. "Do, not, touch, her…" Alex forced those words out in a low yet menacing voice. The entire prison went dead silent as a result of those words. The guards and the Crabbit turned around and looked at Alex. "Ah, yet another feeble being that thinks it can stop us." He held his palm out at the girl, which had turned white. "Perhaps allowing this girl to spend an eternity as an iceberg will show you disrespectful punks to obey your superiors!"

"I… Said…" He spoke quietly, almost as if he had actually listened to the Crabbit. And then… "**DO NOT TOUCH HER!" **With that distorted scream,any sense of reason that Alex had in him completely disappeared. Not to mention that _he_ disappeared. "What the-" I said in a shocked tone. The Crabbit, no longer focused on the girl, looked at my cell and gasped. "Wha- Where did he-" At that moment, the Crabbit was launched roughly 60 feet off the ground and straight into the ceiling. "Wha- What just happened?" I was in complete disbelief. Somehow, Alex was outside of the cell, directly underneath the position where the Crabbit was before. He had actually sent a clean uppercut, full of the hatred and justice of every cellmate in that prison, straight to the Crabbit's throat. Everyone, even the skeleton guards were in shock. After about thirty seconds of silence, the entire prison was rattled by the sound of cheers and applause from the other prisoners. Alex, who was now radiating a pinkish-purple aura, turned his attention to the seven guards surrounding the little girl and said only two words in a distorted voice: "You're next."

There was absolutely no emotion aside from full-fledged anger in his eyes whatsoever. The skeletons' jaw and chin bones broke off in a rather comedic fashion. They immediately dropped their spears and ran for the prison exit. As a result, the applause got even louder. _That was… incredible… _Those were the only words that I could think of to describe that situation. When the applause and cheers died down, Alex walked over to the wounded necromancer and carried him to his cell. The little girl followed behind him as he seemed to teleport all 3 of them into the cell. Once he laid the necromancer on the bed, he teleported back out into the hallway. "Thank you, Alex", said the little girl. He didn't reply, or at least not right away. At that moment, his hair stopped flowing, and his eyes turned back to normal. He took a breath and said, "Not a problem, kid." He gave her a comforting smile, which made her tear up a little. At that moment, the Crabbit, who was stuck in the ceiling at one point, had fallen back to the ground. Alex saw him lying there, and proceeded to walk towards him. His temper was clearly flaring back up, as his fists were clenched and his mind was tuned solely on making him pay for threatening that girl and her father. The Crabbit slowly turned his head over to Alex, who picked him up by the throat.

_Alex's POV_

Given what just transpired, it never occurred to me that I should've gotten back inside my cell. I looked down the hallway to see that Maja's Crabbit was on the floor. To me, nothing seemed more important than stopping him before he could hurt anyone else. "D- D- Don't come any closer!" The Crabbit's attitude was far different than before. "You freaks are the scum of the multiverse! You think you can just claim dominion over anyone and anything, and not expect there to be repercussions?!" I was trying my hardest to calm down. I didn't want to let my anger to progress too far. Unfortunately for him, part of me didn't give a crap. "You douche bags are all the same, hurting and picking on the innocent for no reason whatsoever!" I picked up the Crabbit by the neck and I made sure he could see my eyes. "P- Please, I beg you, m- mercy!" With that response, I decided to make the situation a lot more gratifying. Turning around to the hall of cells around me I spoke to everyone around me. "So you want mercy, Crabbit?" The Crabbit shook his head "yes" several times. "Well you see… I don't have the last call on situations like this one." "Why, not…?" The Crabbit struggled to speak. I chuckled at his response. "You should know by now that I'm an advocate of the people, Crabbit!" His eyes widened in horror, which was exactly what I was going for. "What say you guys?" I yelled out at the many prisoners. "All those in favor of mercy, say AYE!" The prison was so quiet, you'd think you were in space. "All opposed…?" A loud and forceful "AYE!" could be heard all over the prison. "Well Crabbit", I said, closing my fist. "The people have spoken." The Crabbit violently thrashed about, but he couldn't get free of my grasp. I was more than ready to beat that jerk a good couple of inches to his life, but alas…

"Aaaauuugghhh!" All of a sudden, my entire body was wracked with pain. It was so bad that I fell to my side. Looking around, I noticed that the Crabbit was still shaken by what I was about to do to him. I knew then that someone else was responsible for my pain. "Alex, you naughty little boy. You shouldn't be outside of your cell." At some point during the ordeal, Maja had entered the prison dimension. My guess was that she heard the commotion that was going on. My cellmate could only look on as I was enduring some pretty serious agony. "I'm not sure how you got out, but escape attempts are a no-no here." She giggled at me in such a playful tone. Her eyes started to glow a deep, agonizing crimson, and the pain increased. "Aaaaahhhhh!" I was gripping my entire body so tight that it only added to the torment. It was downright unbearable what I was feeling. It was like having your body rest on molten lava in addition to having full body surgery… without anesthesia. The prisoners couldn't believe what was happening to me. Most simply wished they couldn't hear or see anything, like the necromancer's daughter, who covered her eyes at the scene. After about two minutes of torture, Maja finally ceased her attack. My whole body was trembling in pain, even after she had stopped. "Consider yourself lucky, Alex" She spoke to me in a much more threatening tone than before. "I could've been far more hostile than this… _FAR _more." Despite being in pain, I somehow mustered the strength to stand up and look her in the eye. "You… can hurt the innocent… as much as you want, but so long as I still breathe… oppression will not win, Maja." Maja closed her eyes and smiled at me. "You're so resilient. I like that about you. However, you should be more concerned about your own well-being."

When she opened her eyes back up, I noticed that I was back in the cell with Finn. She then turned her attention to her Crabbit, who was just getting back up. "I- I'm alive!" He yelled out. He walked over to his mistress and sank to his knees. "My mistress, you have my eternal gratitude!" Maja rolled her eyes at him. "It would be nice having a lifelong servant, but not one who can't hold his own against his prisoners, even when you had your powers in here." His jaw dropped upon hearing that comment. That got me to thinking: _That explains why he was able to use his powers. So then, w__hy didn't he attack me when I was holding him…? _"You serve no further use to me, Crabbit. Farewell." Maja's eyes glowed red again, and almost instantly the Crabbit more or less self-destructed. Everyone, including myself, was wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Not one person in that room was expecting her to do that. "It seems you all vastly underestimate my abilities." She said. "As of this moment, this prison is now under new leadership. If anyone works up the audacity to attempt an escape again, this will be your fate." With that, she flew back out of the prison dimension; back into her home.

At this point, nightfall was underway, and the prisoners tried their hardest to go to sleep. As for me, I simply rested casually against the wall like usual. "So… Half-Blood human, huh?" Finn said to me. I couldn't help but smirk at his response. "Don't make me laugh, kid. It already hurts to speak…" Finn chuckled back. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Finn" I said to him, but he didn't mind at all. "I'm just glad that somebody has a heart." I looked away from Finn when he said that, but i gave him an acknowledging smile. As soon as I did, the prisoners started clapping again. As painful as that was, it was totally worth the risk.

_He thinks he's cool about what just happened and that he wished he could've helped more, but really, he's thanking his lucky stars that wasn't him out there…_

**There you have it! Chapter 4! We now know just how big a threat Alex is, but we also see that Maja is no pushover either. What will become of Finn's fate in the prison, and will Jake and Bubblegum's plan succeed? Stay tuned to find out! Reviews and outlooks are still welcome!**


	6. Chapter 5:Scheming and Revealing

**Sorry for the wait guys! But wait no longer, chapter 5 is here!**

_Candy Lab: Jake's POV_

The Next morning came for me and PB. As it turned out, we were up all night formulating a plan to rescue Finn. "Okay, this is what I came up with." PB came back into the room with what seemed to be a blueprint of Maja's house. "Check it out, the last time I went to her dimension, I made sure to map out as many places as possible in case I ever had to go back there." She said, feeling very proud of herself. My jaw dropped when I saw the map-out of the area. There was door among door around the main area. Not to mention that there was also a second floor and a basement. "Jeez, does she have an extended family or what?!" PB facepalmed at me. "Not even close, Jake. Thanks to Maja's insane powers, she can create whole dimensions by her lonesome. Each door is its own dimension and no one knows just how big the dimensions are. Finn could be anywhere in that house." This was gonna be way harder than I thought. "So what are we going to do then?

"Well, I think we can rule out the upper levels of the house as our target." She said. "I'm going under the aassumption that she wouldn't keep a dungeon upstairs." I raised an eyebrow at her response. "You really think that, PB?" I said to her. "I don't think you've been to the Nightosphere." She scowled at me. "Have you ever actually been to the sky dimension before, Jake?" She was obviously annoyed at me. "Um- Well, no but-" "Then don't question my judgement, Jake! I am trying to help you, you know!" I sighed. "I know, Peebs. I know." She calmed down a little. "Anyway, just getting into the house could be troublesome. So i say we use this." She reached into her pocket and pulled a remote with a teal button in the middle. "I call it the Immobolizer. This little guy is able to generate an invisible pulse that will cause any animate object within a half-mile radius to be stuck in suspended animation temporarily." I was impressed by her invention. "So just how long will the effect last?" I said back to her. " Roughly five minutes, in addition to a 45 second charge period between pulses. So we'll have to move fast while we're in there. We are not to use physical force unless we absolutely have to." I was feeling a lot more comfortable with this plan. "Just to be on the safe side..." She walked over to a chest and pulled out a stun gun, which she put in her pocket along with her remote. "Are you ready to go, Jake?" I gave her a thumbs up. "You know I am!" With that she hopped on my back and we left the castle.

As we started to embark on our rescue mission, we both saw the candy nurses rushing to the broken piece of wall. They had several banana guys being wheeled out on stretchers. Once again, PB scowled at me. I can't say she wasn't wrong in her reaction. _Jeez, she is never gonna let me forget this..._

_Maja's Dungeon: Finn's POV_

So, the next day came for Alex and I. The prisoners were moving about the prison square. Unlike last time, Alex was actually in the square, standing near a magically blocked window, as were some of the other prisoners. I walked over to him and spoke to him. "So… What's new?" I said, trying to act cool. The prisoners around him looked at me with a confused look. "Have you tried the veal? It's actually edible this time." Alex said. They all immediately laughed at his joke. "You've got a prison buddy, Alex?" They started laughing again at that reply. "Zip it, guys. This kid is a hero." "Hero, huh. He doesn't look like much." "Yeah, I think I could take him." One of the bigger prisoners walked up to me. "Think fast, hero!" He started to throw a punch at me, but I grabbed his arm and flipped him over on his back. The reaction that the others, including Alex, had was too funny. "Holy…" All of them said in unison. "Still think I'm a wimp?" I said to them. Alex was dumbfounded by what he saw. _That guy is at least 400 pounds. How in Sam Hill did he manage that…? _The other prisoners were convinced of my standings at welcomed me into the group. The prisoner that got flipped was back on his feet. "Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." I smiled at his response. You wouldn't know it, but the prisoners were rather civil when they wanted to be.

After about five minutes of random chatter, I finally worked up the nerve to ask him the question that was bugging me. "Hey, Alex?" I spoke. He sighed and looked at me, along with the prisoners beside him. "So, what's up, kid?" Honestly, I just had to know what was up with him and this whole prison ordeal. "Something has been bugging for a while now." I said to him. "Is it about Maja?" he replied. "No. I- I mean, yes… How'd you…" It surprised me that he knew what I was about to ask him. "After bearing witness to yesterday's unpleasantness, I figured you'd probably want to know." "Hey, Bro!" Don't leave us in the dark!" One of the prisoners said to him. "Yeah, why is she so fascinated by you?" Another prisoner spoke. There were at least 12 guys including myself leaning in to hear him. He sighed, "Well, I guess now's as good a time as ever. You see, Maja and me…" Just as he was about to speak, the prison entrance opened, and Maja entered. She was hovering through the hallway and into the square. "Attention, Prisoners. A matter of urgent importance is imminent!" She said in a haughty tone, although no one was listening. "Being the illustrious figure that I am, I figured that you should all know that Death will be paying a visit today." Everyone turned their heads at this response. "That's more like it. This is a review of the prison to see just how tolerant you all are. Don't worry, no lives will be claimed here… as long as you behave." She turned and winked at Alex, who turned and looked out the window in response. "Humph. As you were, prisoners. _Nothing about that sounded good... _I thought to myself. I was willing to bet Alex was thinking the same thing.

The prisoners went back to whatever they were doing as she left. As long as she wasn't attacking anyone, no one really cared. Meanwhile I, along with the other prisoners, looked back at Alex with our eyebrows raised. He shook his head. "Anyway, as I was saying, Maja and I were good friends at one point." I smirked at him. "Just, good friends?" He scowled at me when I said that. "Yes, bro… At least, we were..."

_Alex's POV &amp; Flashbacks_

"_Hey, look! It's Madame Zitty! Watch out guys, she's boiling up! Hahahahaha!" _"When we were younger, she had a very profound blemish issue. A lot of the people around us were very ill-disposed." _"Hey, leave her alone! Oh, Maja the Pimple Princess' boyfriend is angry! You're slowly trying my patience, wise guy. Leave her alone, or answer to me! Hah! You're lucky you're cursed, kid!" "_They eventually did go away at that point. At the time, I took the initiative to make her feel better." _Just ignore them, kid. They're just trolls._ "She was wiping tears from her eyes as she held my hand. As opposed to her attitude now, you'd think that her past self was a different person." _Why are they so mean? I didn't do anything to them… Don't let them get to you. T- Thank you... _"I remember how timid she was when the two of us were friends." Just as I was about to continue, Finn cut me off. "Hold on, just how old were you when this happened?" "Um, I was about 15…" I said. "Oh, I see." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do you ask, kid?" "I mean, you look like you're only 17, Alex." He smirked at me. "Look who's talking, Mr. I-a-16-year-old-demon-slayer." He punched my arm in response. "Shut up, bro!" "Honestly, I may look 17, but I've actually lived to see 23 years. Everyone around me looked at me in disbelief. "23 years?! What, do you not age?" He said to me. "Actually, no Finn, I don't age. However, that's irrelevant." I said back to him and continued on with my earlier dilemma. "Maja and i were practically high school teens. Despite being bullied, she was still very tolerant, to me at least." _The name's Alex. What's you're name? I... It's Maja. I'm a treasure hunter. Well, it's nice to meet you, Maja. _"For about a year and a half, the two of us hung out together. Every now and again we would go explore places we'd never seen." _Dude, this is so stupid what we're doing! Alex, it's just a Manticore cave! They're not hostile by nature, you know. Perhaps, but they still could attack you, dummy! Have it your way, wussy! Ooh, you little... Fine, we'll see just who's the weakling!_ "Maja was so cool to be around, but..." I stopped for a second. Everyone was getting so into the story that they didn't want me to stop. "But what?" "Come on, tell us what happened!" Honestly, it was getting hard to tell them. "But... Then that day came..." _Maja, do you want to go to Vista Pointe with me tonight? _" By now, she had become a little more outgoing among other people." _You... You want me to go with you? I don't see anyone besides you here. Yes, Alex! I'd love to! _ "She hugged me so tight when i said that. It was quite possibly the happiest i'd ever seen her..." "So what happened after that?" Finn said. Before i could continue, the buzzer went off, and many skeleton guards entered the square. "Sorry guys, i'll let you know in a second."

We quickly rushed back to our cells. The other prisoners aside from Finn and myself were a bit too far away for me to tell them the rest, but Finn was not going to be denied hearing my story. "Well, what happened next?" He was pretty persistent indeed. "Seriously, dude? It can't wait?" He shook his head "no". I sighed and continued to fill him in. "So you're probably wondering what Vista Pointe is." Finn nodded in agreement. "Well, it's basically a hangout/club for teens who just want to have fun. We were both 18 at this time. It was about 8:30 when we arrived that night. I remember dancing with her to some house/techno music." _You certainly can dance, maja. Why thank you, Alex. You're pretty rhythmic yourself. Teehee. _"Her hair was untied and reached all the way down to her chest, with part of it covering her left eye. She looked breathtaking that night... Ahem, anyway... Everything was going so smoothly up until the next minute." _Hey look everyone! Madame Zitty is back! Don't touch her, she's contagious! _"The same barbaric demon and his posse that was bothering Maja before, was worst part was that her skin was spotless at the time." _Bro, what's your problem?! Seriously, what do you see in her, man? She's just trash, dude. Merely expendable._ "Maja was seething at this point, but i didn't think she was as mad as I was." Riiiight!_ This coming from a guy who after three years still couldn't pick up a chick! I'd watch my mouth if I were you, queer! _"The entire crowd reacted with a loud "oooohhh!" At my response. His response was a lousy sucker punch to my cheek. I didn't acknowledge the punch right away. I was looking the other way, still trying to process the fact that this douche bag actually hit me. My eyes turned lavender for a split second, then they went back to their green shade. I simply chuckled at the guy."

_Ok then, you asked for it, taint-stick! _"With that, I immediately sent a clean, straight left jab at that jerk's eye, blackening it on contact. As a result, there were nothing but gasps from the crowd. The hit knocked him on his back, but adrenaline kicked in and we threw down right in the middle of the crowd." _You lookin' for a tune-up, chump?! You picked the wrong day to screw with me, asshat! _"The entire crowd erupted with cheers and screams. Soda and punch was going in every direction. Eventually, I managed to land an axe kick and knock him to the ground. I turned around and looked at Maja with a reassuring smile." _Sorry about that, Maja. So, where were we? _"I remember her cheeks being beet red and she was smiling at me, only to have her face change to a look of pure fear and horror. When i realized what was happening be hind me, it was too late to respond right then. The demon had his arm around my neck along with a knife in his other hand." _Who's in control now, half-blood?! _"Wait, you weren't able to disarm him, Alex?" Finn suddenly butted in. "On the contrary, Finn. I most certainly could've disarmed him. He didn't know that I knew Escrima Kali, quite possibly THE most dangerous form of martial arts on the planet. Luckily for him, I didn't have to. At that point, the demon's grip suddenly loosened, and there were horrified screams and gasps from the crowd. _Dont you DARE hurt him, you despicable waste! _"I took one look at Maja, and I nearly wet myself. Her hair was blowing around in the air, and her normally blue eyes were blood red and glowing. I looked above me to see that the demon was somehow floating in the air. He was holding his neck, and his legs were flailing about like crazy. The other guests had fled the hideout by this time." _I... (Bang)_ The demon flew straight into a huge ice sculpture._ WILL... (Crash) His body met with the right wall, putting a huge crack in it. DESTROY... _(Boom) The demon went through the entryway back outside. _YOU! _"The demon was back in the air again, but this, the demon's limbs were being streched in different directions. _Aaaaaahhhhhh! _"He was screaming bloody murder throughout the whole ordeal. _I'll teach you to put my best friend's life at risk, scum! Maja, stop! _I put my around Maja. She was still royally ticked, but aftee about 45 seconds she did eventually stop and the demon fell to the ground. The demon, who's body looked like paper-thin string, ran away like a spider as far away as he could."

"Well, that's good." Finn said. Not gonna lie, that jerk desereved every thing that happened to him. "Maybe, Finn, but I certainly didn't deserve what happened after that..." _Are you ok, Maja? _"She was panting hard, but she didn't look like she was hurt. Still, something was off. _I'm okay, Alex. Hehehehe... _"Her tone was low and a bit unsettling." _At least you care. Hehehehehehe..._ "She giggled at me in a playful, yet sadistic voice." M-_ Maja... _"She turned and looked at me, and what i saw freaked me out more than any thing. Her eyes were blue again, but they looked like they had no life in them. She also had a wide, deranged smile on her face. She was blushing and shaking slightly." _Don't worry, Alex. No one will ever hurt you again. I won't let anyone touch you. I wont. I- I love you, Alex... _"That's when it hit me. My best friend had officially gone off the deep end. For four years, i've had to deal with her stalking me, and even hunting me down. My friends tried to help me, but that only served to further slip her into insanity, and even make her attack my friends. Maja and I were friends, but I drew the line at that point. I couldn't her hurt them." Finn was wide-mouthed at the whole story. "Hold on, you didn't attack Maja... did you?" "No, for two reasons, Finn. One, she probably would've have killed me and my team, and two, I wasn't sure I could bring myself to hit a girl." I said to him. Yes, critics. I have morals. "So i willingly let her capture me, so my friends wouldn't suffer. I've spent 5 months here out of pure spite." I reluctantly said that. "Jeez, dude." Finn replied. "A word to the wise, Finn: Don't ever play with a woman's emotions, Bro. You might not live to regret it." He let out a sheepish chuckle when I said that. "Yeaaahh... I'll keep that in mind..."

_Finn's POV_

I honestly would've never imagined that Alex had this much to deal with. "So, Maja's been after you for four years... That's rough." I said to him. "Yeah..." Alex said. "Honestly, Finn... I don't hate Maja, I truly don't. The thing i do hate is her mindset. She hates anyone who's not me, even when people actually try to befriend her, simply because I stood up for her." "Hmm... There's still one thing that I'm still wondering about" I said. "Oh?" Alex replied. "Well , you mentioned that the barbaric demon called you lucky because you were "cursed", right? Does that have something to do with you bre-" Alex put his hand over my mouth. He had was pointing to an entire line of skeleton guards in the hallway. Their heads were turned away from us. "Maja is still trying to figure out how I got out of my cell and attacked her crabbit. If she does find out, any plans for escape will be pointless." He whispered to me, and i nodded in agreement. When the guards started to move about the prison again, one of the guards walked over to our cell. He looked around him before he spoke to us.

"So, how's the prison life, Rogue?" Alex smirked at him. "It beats being disintegrated." He said. "How about you kid?" He said to me. I had my arms crossed at him. "What's it to ya?" I replied, but I noticed something was different about this guard. He had an emblem on his wrist that looked like a sketched "Z" with a thunderbolt in the middle. Relax, kid. I'm with your buddy. I looked at Alex who had a clever smile on his face. "So what's the word, Abel?" "Check it: While your girlfriend was making some sort of spell with her cauldron-" "She is NOT my girlfriend!" Alex cut him off, with a slight touch of pink in his cheeks."Anyway," the guard continued, "It seems that there are limits to her power."Alex got happier when he heard this. "Really? How much of a limit are we talking?" "There are two limits: One, she can only bend reality within her domain, a.k.a, the sky dimension. And two, she can only alter a dimension that she is present in." Alex was practically bouncing at this point. "This is good, this is really , really good!" I hated the fact that he wouldn't tell me what was going on. "Abel, send a message to the rest of the underground: we will commence the escape as planned." Alex said to him. "Acknowledged... commander." The two saluted each other. "Be careful out there, Abel!" Alex said before he left. "Dude, please. I'm undead!" With that, he walked back amongst the other guards, meanwhile Alex laid down on the bed, humming to himself.

"You were planning an escape this whole time?!" I said to him. "Of course, kid!" He replied, in a tone just as haughty as Maja. "Rogues are always prepared!" I was in shock. "So you being tortured by Maja was a part of your plan?" "Yes, to some extent. I was hoping she would use a method other than torture. At least we know that her reality warping powers only work in the dimension she's in. So... If even one of us can get outside of this room, we might just be able to pull this off. However, I wasn't even going to chance it unless there was the possibility of getting _everyone _out of this prison." I couldn't believe he had planned this much within such a short time span. "So when are you gonna tell me about this "Underground", Alex?" "Maybe when we get out of here." He said. "And this "curse", dude?" "Later, bro." With that, He turned to the wall.

_This guy just gets more and more awesome by the minute.._

**There you have it, guys! Chapter 5 is done. Sorry for the wait. Also, this chapter is a tad bit longer than the other ones. If it seems too lengthy, just let me know. So how will Alex's escape plan play out, and will Jake and PB's intervention help or hinder their plan? Stay tuned to find out! Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 6: Here goes Nothing

**So the plot thickens, viewers. Bubblegum and Jake are venturing to rescue Finn, while at the same time, Alex is launching an escape plan himself. How will it play out?**

_Bubblegum's POV, Outer Jade Forest_

After about 20 minutes of hiking, we eventually made it to the northern edge of the Jade Forest. It had just turned noon, and Jake, as it seemed, was already tired. "(yawn) Dude, how long are we gonna have to walk out here?" I simply shook my head at him. "Seriously, it has only half an hour at best." He looked at me with a drowsy expression. "Pardon me, Princess. I seem to recall us both being up since midnight planning to rescue Finn." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Us both? If my memory serves me, I made the plan whereas you were sitting aound eating the nougat chairs in the lab, which you will replace!" "Hey! In my defense, it wouldn't hurt to invest in some metal chairs. It is a laboratory, you know." As random as that rebuttal was, he did have a point. You're not supposed to have anything edible in a science lab anyway. "Well, perhaps you're right, but I still think you- Oh! This is it!" Jake stopped when I said this. We made it to a huge wall of trees and other foliage reaching high up in the air. The way it was fixed almost made it look like a castle. "Holy stuff… Has this thing always been out here?" "Yes, Jake. For quite some time now." I replied. "This is what's known as a Gate Bramble. They're designed to filter out anything that is deemed tainted or unnecessary. Most are enchanted by witches or other magical beings to protect their homes." I jumped off Jake, walked up to the Bramble and examined the lower levels. Brushing my hand across it, a red essence appeared, and then promptly disappeared. _It appears to be sleeping. Good, getting through here shouldn't be too much trouble. _

I turned and faced Jake, who was approaching me. "Man, this thing looks impossible to get over…" He said looking up at the height of the wall. "It does, however we may not have to go over it, Jake." I said, reassuring him. "The Gate Bramble is asleep, so all we have to do is just take the route with the least amount of resistance." He looked confused when I said this. "Wait a minute, this thing can sleep?" I facepalmed at Jake. "Of course it can, dummy. Plants are living things too, you know." "Oh…" With that, Jake tried to run through the wall, only to be stopped by a wall of thorn-covered vines. "Ouch!" Jake said, rubbing his head. I was trying my hardest to not laugh at what happened. "Jake, you can't just rush this wall all willy-nilly. You have to be one with it." With that, I let my back rest against the wall, and I started to pass through. "Just relax, and you'll get through without trouble." Jake took a deep breath and did exactly as I did. He was phasing through the wall with ease. After a few seconds, we were on the other side of the Bramble, with nothing but the dark Bramble Woods awaiting us. _Hang on, Finn. We're coming…_

_Maja's Dungeon, Finn's POV_

"_Hey Alex?" "Jeez, you do not let up, do you?" "I'm sorry, but I've got to know something… is there any more of us out there?" "Well Finn…" _"Finn… FINN!" It took me a second to snap out of it. Alex was standing beside me. "You dozed off there, kid." I was sitting on the floor with my back against the wall. I had no idea how long I was out. "Listen up, this is important." Almost immediately, a buzzer went off, allowing the prisoners a few minutes to enter the square before curfew. "So what's up?" I said to him. "Come with me, we need to sort this out." I followed him to the window that we were at last time. As we walked, he motioned for a few of the other prisoners to come with him as well. Among those prisoners was the necromancer that Alex saved earlier, along with his daughter. When we made it to the window, we could see nothing but black sky outside, when it should usually be pink. Clouds were still visible, but those that were out there were slowly fading. "Dang, is there a bad storm coming?" I said. "You don't know the half of it, bro" Alex said in a serious tone. "As of this second, Death himself is now in the vicinity. Why he is here, i'm still not sure. I thought Maja was just playing around, but now I don't know." All of us looked at Alex, who was worried. "Dude, you look scared..." "Scared? Try pensive, Finn." He was hiding it, but he was obviously a little bit concerned with what was going on. "Listen up, guys. I've got my friend keeping me informed on the situation. When he returns, I'll fill you guys in on the plan." Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long. About 30 seconds after he said that, several skeleton guards entered the prison. The undercover skeleton who was among the first few to re-enter the prison, motioned for Alex to come to him. Alex went and leaned against his cell. His friend was a few feet away from him, among a few other guards who didn't appear to notice, and they were looking at each other. They weren't talking, but they were exchanging facial expressions. After a minute, Alex gave a small smile and then walked back towards us. His smile faded and he came back to us with a serious face and sighed. "Houston, we have a problem..."

_Bramble Woods, Jake's POV_

Once PB and I got past the wall of trees and shrubbery, I couldn't help but be astonished by what I saw. Unlike the Jade Forest, which had small streaks of sunlight in spots, these woods lacked it. Instead, fireflies and small lanterns illuminated the area. To put it short, there was an entire forest within a forest, in a manner of speaking. _As many times as Finn and I explored this forest, how did we not find this place...? _That was all I could think of as we walked through the woods. The area consisted of multiple paths, slopes, and caves which made the environment seem unsettling, yet calming at the same time. "These woods form a large labyrinth, each leading to two possible outcomes: Progress or trouble", PB said to me. "It would be in our best interest to not get lost." She certainly sounded serious when she said that. "Hey, Peebs", I said to her. "How is it that you know so much about this area?" "Well, Jake", she said to me. "I've had to come here countless times, for personal and for royalty reasons. In fact, I even went to Maja's dimension with Marcy once." "Really?" I couldn't help but be curious about her statement. "May I ask why, Princess?" "Maybe later", she replied. "Jake, be on guard. There may be hostile forces lurking about here." I assure you, I was not worried about having to fight. "Let 'em come," I said to her. "No one is gonna stop me from getting my bro back!" In that instant, the Universe pretty much said "Challenge Accepted" in the form of a 5 unusually large Venus' Flytraps."Unfamiliar bodies detected" One of the Flytraps said. "Identify Yourselves", said another.

"Oh glob! They must serve as guardians to the woods", Bubblegum said. "Dang It", I said in reply. _I just HAD to say something stupid, didn't I?! _The Flytraps were approaching us, and their "teeth" grew longer. "Trespassers with malicious intent will not be taken lightly", they all said in unison. "Hold on!", PB yelled out, and they stopped momentarily. "We mean no harm, Guardians. I am Princess Bubblegum, ruler of the candy kingdom, and this is my- er... companion, Jake!" They didn't move but they still made an effort to speak. "Princess Bubblegum, ruler of the Candy Kingdom, and companion Jake..." The middle Flytrap said to us. "Yes. We have no intention of wrongdoing. We only came here to help our friend." She replied, hoping for them to nicely step aside. "You do not have sufficient clearance to traverse here." They all said, moving closer to us. "LEAVE NOW!" With that response, I grew larger and PB pulled out her arsenal bag. "Seriously?! As many times as i've had to come to this stupid forest, they have the gall to tell me that I don't have enough clearance?!" She yelled out at them. "Well, so much for trying to be civil", I said to her. "Looks like were in for a fight", said PB. one way or another, these guys were not stopping me. No way, No how.

_Maja's Dungeon, Alex's POV_

_Well this is just great... _Those words ran through my head as I made it back to the group. "Well guys, I have good news and bad news." They all looked at looked at me with worried expressions. "On the upside, Our plan to escape is still on ." The prisoners became a bit more relieved when I said that. "The catch is... We only have 24 hours to do so..." They were silent for a few seconds until Finn broke it. "A-And what happens after that...?" He mustered those words out quietly. "Unfortunately... Some prisoners wont be prisoners anymore, at least not here." I forced those words out."Wh... What does that mean..." The necromancer's daughter was trembling as she said that. "Well from what I understand, Maja appears to be trading some of the prisoners in exchange for extended youth. My guess is... The youngest tributes prove to be the most valuable." I said to them. As a result of the news, the little girl started to whimper and sniffle and her father tried to calm her down. Then, Finn put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you." He said, reassuringly. "They'd have to go through all of us to do so." I said to her. The little girl wiped her face and smiled at us. "Whoa, check it out!" One of the prisoners was looking out the window. Looking outside, we could see that the sky was slowly returning to it's normal pink hue. _So Death is returning to his domain, _I thought as I looked out the window. _Still, if Maja plans on sacrificing any of these prisoners, wating any longer would be pointless. I have to get these people out of here..._

"Finn, come here", I said to him. "What's up, bro?" "I know this is sudden, but I don't think waiting till tonight is an option." "Dude, are you saying..." "Yes, if we're going to escape, we have to do it while Death isn't here", I said. Finn looked at me as if he thought I was insane. "Are you on something, bro?!" He said, trying not to yell. "Shh! Not too loud!" A few of the guards were looking at us. "Listen, innocent lives my be at risk now. I can't chance anyone staying here any longer." Finn's expression still didn't change. "You have so much compassion for these guys, but do they think the same?" This made me think for a second, but I quickly responded. "Frankly, I could care less about their sympathy towards me, kid. However, I do care about their well-being. Just look around you, you've got cells packed full of different species of people. The worst part of it os that the majority are children and the elderly." With that I pointed to a nearby cell. There were at least 8 guys huddled up in that one space. One of them was a very ill wizard who was cramped in a corner and wheezing next to a newborn was at a loss for words "Alex... I-" "And the bad news keeps on coming", I said, cutting him off. I pointed to a cell that was two cells to the left of the previous one. This cell was also packed to the ceiling, but not because of prisoner capacity (as there were only five beings in that cell), but due to a practical mountain of... ahem, excrement... Finn, upon seeing this, started to cringe. His fists were balled up and he was fuming. He felt like he wanted to nuke Maja's house if given the chance. "Do you see what I mean, Finn", I continued. "All of them are here for absolutely no reason besides to be oppressed. No one deserves treatment this bad. Please Finn, help me free them", I sincerely spoke to him. Finn sighed and spoke to me, "Anyone who has that much compassion for his fellow man is worth fighting with, but what happens if I do help you? After all, this is a life-or-death scenario." "You want to know more about me, right?" He shook his head. "Help me, and I wont leave a single question unanswered. You have my word." With that, both of us shook hands. "You've got a deal."

Just then, a buzzer went off and the remaining prisoners made their way back to their cells except those from the group I was with. "Now, guys. I'm gonna have to tweak my plan a little, so act natural. Finn, you and I need to create enough bedlam to cause Maja to come down into the prison", I said quietly. "And what about us", said the necromancer. "I need the rest of you to go back to your cells. If this plays the way i'm hoping it will, we can free everyone once we get outside of the prison dimension." "How so?" Finn said. "A good buddy of mine told me where the controls for the prison were" I said, giving a small smile to Abel, who gave a thumbs up be hind his back. "How do you guys communicate like that?" Finn said to me. "Telepathy, dude. You've gotta love it!" Finn nodded at this. "So what happens when Maja comes in?" "Well, we know she can only alter a dimension if she's actually in it. If i'm right, each individual cell serves as a separate dimension, and I don't think they apply to Maja's power exemption effect", i said. "So, if we can lock her in our cell, we should be able to get everyone out before she finfs a way to escape." Finn was in awe of my theory. "Dude, you think well under pressure" Finn said. _Thinking...? More like improvising. If my theory is wrong, this whole plan will go up in smoke. I hope I don't mess this up..._ "So does everyone understand?"They all shook their heads in agreement, and we proceeded to walk back to our cells. Everyone else reentered their cells which closed behind them, except Finn and I. We were facing our cell, but we stayed outside of it in an attempt to draw the attention of the guards. "Hey, you two", sure enough, several skeleton guards approached us from behind. "Get back in your cell!" One of them said, holding a spear. The prisoners around us were very curious to know just what we were doing.

"Finn", I whispered to him. "How good are you in hand-to-hand combat?" "Not too shabby", Finn whispered back. _I certainly hope so... _I thought, as the guards slowly got closer. "We wont warn you again! Return to your cell, immediately!' It was now or never. We each took a deep breath with a lot at , the two us started to turn around towards the guards.

_Well... Here goes nothing..._

**This is it, people! In a moment of rushed judgement, Finn and Alex are ready to launch their escape. Will PB and Jake be able to reunite with their hero/brother, and can Alex indeed succeed in freeing all of Maja's captives? Find out in Chapter 7! Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 7: Jailbreak Time!, Part 1

**Chapter 7, People! The time has arrived for Finn and Alex. Freeing all of the prisoners out of Maja's twisted dimension is now their top priority. Failure is not an option here. Now then...**

_Finn's POV_

If my heart was beating any harder, my chest probably would've have exploded. Launching an escape of this magnitude was going to be an uphill battle of sorts. _It's put up or shut up time, Finn. These people are counting on you. _With that in mind, I slowly started to turn around to the guards, as did Alex. "This is your last warning, Prisoners", the guards said to us. "Return to you cell, or we will use force!" Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a sweat drop on Alex's cheek, despite how calm he was. One of the guards approached Alex and tried to shock him with an electrified spear, only to have the spear quickly kicked out of his hands and into the air. Alex, who didn't waste any time at all, sent a ridiculously fast spinning heel kick right to the skull of the guard, actually separating his head from the rest of his body. The guard's skull bounced off the prison doors a good 5 or 6 times before it hit the hallway floor and broke. The rest of the guard's body disintegrated afterwards. The remaining guards and I watched in awe as Alex turned around and caught the spear that was still airborne and spun it around like someone who knew Kung Fu. "Baaanzaaaiiiiii!" With that battle cry, he proceeded to charge the guards like a madman. As a result the prison was lit up with cheers and yells from the prisoners. The guards were exchanging hits between Alex, who was now armed and blocking every hit with his spear. He kicked one of the guards back towards me and I grabbed his arm and flipped him on his back, actually breaking the skeleton to pieces upon hitting the ground. Despite being enchanted, they were still quite fragile. "Ooohhh!" Was all that could be heard from the prisoners before the cheering resumed. "Riot! Riot! Riot! Riot!" The cheering and chants were almost deafening.

"Hey kid, look out!" Alex yelled out at me. I turned around and narrowly missed being stabbed in the neck by a guard's halberd. I punched his head off and the skeleton's body turned to dust. His halberd clattered on the floor, and I picked it up. "I really think that headshotting every one of these guys is overkill, don't you?" I said to Alex, who had four skeletons around him. "Don't get soft now, Kid. These are undead entities, so the only way to eliminate them is with headshots only." He replied. A skeleton swung a battle axe at Alex, who ducked and did a fast 540 spin while holding his spear. The spin cleanly sliced through the necks of all four skeletons and their skulls fell onto their respective bodies, breaking right through their anatomies as they fell. "And besides, skeletons don't bleed so it's not as violent as one would imagine." I looked at him with a expression that said "Seriously, dude". "Yet breaking bones doesn't qualify as violent… Yep, seems legit." He looked at me with a smirk. "You know what, screw you." With that, we continued to fight off the remaining guards.

_Maja's POV_

"Hm, hmm, hmm, hm, hm hmm…" After Death left my abode, I hummed to myself as I floated around my bedroom. _So many souls to play with; so little time. _I was brandishing a keen knife in my hand as I floated down the hallway outside. I had recently learned that Death was willing to trade the souls of my prisoners for a longer formative live. He did need time to come up with the spell to do so. "When Death's spell is complete, i'll be able to stay young for as long as I want. This will ensure that my powers will never go away." I said to myself, as I entered my spell room. On the side of the room, I had a dart board mounted on the wall, but instead of point values, there were pictures. Pictures of every single person I loathed or didn't like. On the "20" position, there was a picture of the same demon who terrorized me all those years before. Just the sight of him was sickening. "Just you wait, jerk. If you thought what I did to you before was bad, you won't fathom what I have in store for you!" Those memories came back in such a daunting manner. _Here comes empress blemish! Hey Madame zitty, ever heard of pimple cream? Hahahahahahaha! _"Grrr... SHUT UP!" I yelled out and threw the dagger that I had right between that jerk's eyes. "Hah... Hah... Soon, you all will pay..." After I regained my composure, I flew over to the large glass window beside the board. The pink sky outside only somewhat made me feel better. "(sigh) Well, at least it wasn't all bad." Reaching under my shirt, I pulled out a folded piece of paper. I unfolded it, revealing a picture of Alex and I when we were teens. "(Sigh) You're the only person who understands me..." I was caressing the photo as if he were actually in the room. "Alex..."

In my moment of randomness, I started thinking back on a day when Alex and I were adventuring together. _Hey Alex? Yeah, Maja? Why are you such a nice person? Um, well... Being nice should be common, shouldn't it? You can make friends so easily, Alex. I really wish I had your life... Au contraire, kid. I make enemies faster than anyone. The difference between you and me is that people have this similarity complex where if you're not like them, then they're above you._ The two of us were walking through a tulip-filled meadow, and he was holding my hand. _Funny __thing, the microscope effect just does not work with me. I don't give a rat's tail about whatever rationalization a person may give themselves. I make sure to make my presence known to the world. If your gonna mess with someone, be prepared to atone for that mistake. _Alex had such a kind side to him, despite his reputation. _What i'm saying is, don't let them beat you down. Let them know that you mean business and that you wont be intimidated by anyone. I assure you, people will learn to like you. Really? What makes you so sure of that, Alex? Well, you managed to make a friend out of me, didn't you? _At this point, I was hugging the piece of paper tightly, and I was blushing furiously. "I don't need anyone else... You're the only person I need, Alex. I wont let you go... _Ever..."_

"Mistress!" All of a sudden, there was a loud yell which made me snap out of my daydream. Looking at my cauldron, there was a guard who was sending a magically transmitted message from the prison dimension. "Peon! How dare you interrupt me in the midst of my moment!" "Forgive me, Mistress! There is a prison riot in progress involving two prisoners!" He said. "Pardon...?" I replied "The human and the rogue are single-handedly eliminating our forces wave by wave! Please, we need reinf-" He doesn't get to complete his distress message. (Shink!) In that instant, his head just flies off his body, which turned to dust shortly after. The cauldron faded out after that. _Alex... What are you up to down there...? _I thought to myself as I headed for the dungeon.

_Alex's POV_

Honestly, I wasn't sure what was weirder: The fact that these guys were asininely weak, or that Maja didn't hear any of what was going on. "Come on, woman! We literally don't have all day!" I said to myself as the onslaught continued. As I destroyed another guard who was moping the floor with the guards around him. He was spinning and swinging the halberd he picked up at the guards. His attacks were fast, but his movements were practically like water, and disturbingly accurate. _Dang, who taught this kid how to fight like this? I need to find out... _I thought to myself. "This is playing out way too effortlessly" Finn said to me. I was about to reply when seven guards in a straight line rushed in from the prison entrance. "Get down, kid!" Finn immediately got down on all-fours and I turned and chucked the spear like a javelin directly at the first skeleton's head. The result was that I managed to spike all seven of the skeletons' skulls onto the spear which got stuck just inches from the side of the exit. Their headless bodies dissipated as a result of the attack, and the crowd was silent for a moment... "Shish-kabob!" ...until I said that, causing the crowd to break out in laughter. Even Finn was trying not to laugh at my joke. "Dude... (snicker) ...that's just disrespectful." "My friends call it _Breakin_'_ the fourth wall._ You should try it sometime."

At this point, there was only one guard left in that entire prison. Finn and I slowly approached him. "Not bad, not bad at all..." That was his only response. The prisoners chants got louder as we got closer to the guard. "Let's end this!" With that statement, we were about to attack when- (Bang!) The prison door suddenly opened, revealing my still-yet-somewhat friend/enemy, Maja. "You are one determined rogue, aren't you?" She said, slowly approaching our position. I gulped a little as she came closer. "Well... What can I say? I'm uncouth." I replied, and she let out a short giggle."You do know that I cannot allow such actions to go unpunished. You and your cellmate will suffer for disobedience." The prisoners were dead silent at this point. Looking out of the left corner of my eye, I could see that our cell was still open. _This is it... Don't mess up... _Both Finn and I took two steps back while Maja closed the gap in distance between us. She was right in front of our cell, which was just what I was waiting for. "Do you have anything to say, boys", Maja asked us. Finn and I looked at each other for a split second, and then I turned back to face Maja. "(Sigh) Just two words..." I said. "Think Fast!" As soon as i said that, the last guard, who was actually my teammate, Abel quickly shoved Maja into the cell, and both Finn and I swiftly reentered into the cell, and quickly jumped back out before the cell could lock us in.

"Aah, What the-?!" Maja spun around to see us, outside of the cell. "How did..." I had a small smirk on my face. "No prison can hold me, old friend" I high-fived finn as I said this, but then- "No! I won't let you leave!" She stuck her hand out at us, which was glowing red. Finn gasped and was wide-eyed, meanwhile I had my eyes closed bracing for whatever torture was about to be inflicted... and then... I opened my eyes. Nothing happened. I looked over at Finn, who was standing just fine. Maja still had her powers, but because she was in the cell, she couldn't affect us. _Holy cow, that worked! I can't believe that worked! _Maja's was in shock by the whole thing. I couldn't tell if she was outraged or impressed by those events, but I was not waiting to find out. I turned towards the direction of the exit and said two words... "Guys, Run..." That was the last thing I said in that prison before the three of us made a beeline dash straight for the exit. Among all of the cheering, a ear-splitting scream could be heard from the far end of the hallway just as we got outside of the prison and back into Maja's house._Ohhh, Man she is mad!_

_Jake's POV_

It took us half an hour to neutralize those freaking flytraps By the time we were done, we had them tied together in a knot. "You guys are so lucky I didn't bring a flamethrower with me!" It seemed PB was still ticked off about the whole "insufficient clearance" crack they made. "Dude, let it go already" I said to her as she got back on me. We continued through the woods for a while until we hit a fork in the road. "Something's not right..." PB said, looking down the two paths. There was a sign between the two paths which read a disturbing message: _Before you lies a path double, one leads to progress, the other leads to trouble. Only fools continue so be aware that a incorrect guess will lead to despair... _I gulped hard when I read this message. "Bro, that is dark..." I said. PB was even more on edge."This... This wasn't here before. There should have been just a road lined with sharp vines." Her voice was a little shaky when she said that. "Whoa... You okay there, Bubblegum?" "I'm fine, Jake. However, we should be very cautious of the path we take. Looking back at the two paths, I wasn't sure which was the right path. After a minute of quiet debate, PB decided. "I think... The left path is the safe route." Given that I had never been down here, I didn't argue with her decision. We continued down the path for about 20 seconds until.. (Gasp) I quickly stopped myself. In front of us was a giant divide which appeared to be endless. A few rocks fell as I stepped back, and sure enough, that pit was endless, as evidenced by the silence. "Whew!" I said. "It's a good thing I saw that trap, Right Bubblegum?" But just then...

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" I suddenly turned around and looked up. A couple of vines were wrapped around PB's waist, and they were bringing her over the pit. "Jake, Help!" She screamed. "Hang on!" Just as I was about to grab her, I was knocked backwards into a nearby tree. "Augh!" I was a little stunned by the impact, but I got over it quick as the vines had her directly over the death trap. "Oh glob, oh glob, oh, glob!" Suddenly the vines released her. "AAAAAAAAHHHH-" Extending my arm, I managed to catch her before she plummeted to her doom. She had fallen about 15 feet before I caught her. When I pulled her up, I immediately ran the opposite way, only to get smacked from behind by another set of vines. Luckily, the hit sent us back to the fork we came to earlier. "(panting) I.. hate this... forest!" I yellef out. I looked over at PB, who was shaking a little, but was otherwise fine. "When were done... I am going to wring the neck of whoever made that trap!" I was stunned. This was the most scared that I'd ever seen PB. "Well... maybe we should rest a minute before we continue..." I said, but PB thought otherwise. "I'm fine, Jake. I just needed a scond to compose myself. I couldn't blame her. She came very close to falling to her demise. After a few seconds, she got back on top of me and we started down the other path. "Thanks for the save, Jake", PB said, petting my head. "Don't mention it", I replied as we continued moving through the woods. _Perhaps now we can find this stupid house..._

_Finn's POV_

I couldn't believe it... We had actually gotten out of Maja's prison in one piece. The entrance brought us to the basement of Maja's house. There was a hallway with five doors on each side and at the end of the hall was a staircase leading to the main floor of the house. "Yes, We made it! Now we just have to free those people" I said to Alex and Abel. "Quickly, which room has the controls for the prison", Alex asked Abel, who brought up a holographic map. "It's the second to last door on the left", Said Abel. We quickly ran for the fourth door on the left side of the hallway. "Guys, Cover me!" Alex said that to us and quickly ran in, but then... "Aahaahhh!" There was a girlish shriek and Alex ran back out, but not before being hit in the head by a shower brush. "You pervert!" "Sorry! Sorry!" He apologized to whoever was in there and shut the door. "What the heck, Man?! Alex yelled at Abel with a red face. "Hehe... Sorry. I meant the door on the right", Abel said to him with a sheepish chuckle. All three of us approached the right door, then Alex turned to me. "Ok, you go first kid." , He said while patting my back. _He must have seen something that was pretty unsettling. _With that, I slowly turned the knob and opened the door. "Hello..."

Opening the door revealed a sky blue room with surveillance screens for just about every room in the house. "Well jeez" I said to myself. "There must be at least 200 screens here..." I ran down the room, searching for the prison camera. "Yes, this is it!" I stopped about halfway through the room. There were two screens displaying the two equal lines of cells from the prison dimension. Below them, there were two touch-screened control panels with exactly 50 squares on each screen, each containing a checkbox in the right corner. "Really? They can make an entire dimension but they couldn't install a _check all _command for this thing?!" I said, quickly trying to check all of the cell checkboxes. After about 90 seconds, every box except the box for the cell that Maja was in was checked. "Good, now to free the prisoners." I looked around and saw a panel with four buttons labeled, Release, Secure, Uncheck all, and unbelievably... Check All. _Are you freaking kidding me?! It took me that long to see that?! _You wouldn't believe whow livid I was. "Hey kid", Alex yelled from outside. "Could you go any slower, bro?!" I rolled my eyes and looked at the button that said Release. _Oh, please be the right button... _I thought to myself. Crossing my fingers, I pushed the Release button, and the 99 checked cells each suddenly opened. With that, I grabbed a microphone that was linked to the control panel. "Attention, Prisoners! The area is clear, **ESCAPE NOW!"** Sure enough, all of the prisoners flooded the prison hallway and ran straight for the exit. Not wasting any more time I ran back outside and slammed the door shut. "If you don't want to become a welcome mat, then you better start running!" I said to Alex and Abel, who shook their heads. All of us ran up the stairs into the ground floor of the house. We could hear loud footsteps as we ran to the exit. As Alex opened the door leading to freedom, the mass of prisoners entered the main floor of the house. "**Wait!**" Alex yelled out quickly, stopping them. "Listen carefully! Outside, you will see a fairly-sized puddle which will take you back into our dimension! Jump carefully, because if you miss, you're on your own!" He warned them all, and they nodded in agreement. "Now, Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!" With that yell, the prisoners wasted no time jumping for sanctuary. After about a minute, we were down to the last few prisoners. Surprisingly, the necromancer that Alex had saved earlier and his daughter were the last two prisoners to reach the exit. The little girl stopped and hugged both me and Finn while her father shook hands with Abel. "Words cannot express how grateful I am to you for your help. Should we meet again, You all will be rewarded immensely for your trouble." All three of us smiled at the two of them. "No problem, good sir." Alex said. Seeing that smile on his face was heartwarming. "Now hurry!" And with that the two joined hands and jumped straight for the portal.

"Is that everyone?" Alex said, looking around the house. "Yep, that's it!" I replied. With a sigh of relief, Alex turned and faced the pink sky outside. "You guys ready to bounce?" He said to us. "Yeah, Man!" I said, giving him a thumbs up. We were about to jump until Alex suddenly stopped. "Whoa, dude!" I said. "What's the hold up?" Alex turned and looked up at the upper floor of the house. "I can't go just yet." He said, and he started running up the stairs. "Um... Shouldn't we be going as far away from this house as possible, bro?" Abel said to him. "I know", Alex said, stopping halfway up the stairs. "But Maja took something very important from me when she caught me before." He said back to us. "I can't go without it. You guys earned your freedom. Don't worry about me." Returning a genuine smile, he started back up the stairs. "Dude, but..." I started to say, but then Abel started after him. "Seriously, you too?" Abel looked at be with a serious glare. "Alex has been a friend of mine for years, Finn." He answered back. "I wont escape until he's ready to." With that, he followed Alex up the stairs. "Wha- but... the- Ugh!" Defeated, I reluctantly followed them up to the top floor. _This guy, I swear... _

If you thought we weren't pressing our luck enough already, then you'd be right. Because during that whole endeavor, i overlooked one important factor in our escape. In my rush, I forgot to reclose the cells in the prison. As a result, a fail-safe was triggered, opening any other closed cells for 15 seconds before all 100 would close. This was to give the prisonets a fair amount of breathing time in case there was a malfunction with the controls. Unfortunately, the three of us were about to realize just how bad an oversight that was..

_"Ready or not, here I come..."_

**To be continued... Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 8: Jailbreak Time!, Part 2

**Viewers, I apologize… There were a few typos in the previous chapters that I was only of recent aware of. I'll try harder not to do that. Now resuming story…**

_Finn's POV_

Given the conditions of the problem at hand, I honestly thought I'd been as supportive as possible to these fools. "Dude, shouldn't we be headed outside of this crazy place, rather than farther into it", I asked them as we reached the top of the stairs. "_You_ can, dude." Alex countered. "Trust me, I don't want to be here any longer than you do, but there are things that I value in here somewhere that I absolutely will not leave behind." Alex sounded very staid when he said those words. "Abel, do you know where Maja keeps here treasures at?" He asked his teammate, who pointed at the far end of the second floor. "The very last room up here is what she calls her Relic Room." He said. "My guess is that it would be in there." Without another word, Alex ran straight for the room that Abel mentioned; both of us pursued him as well. Opening the door, we saw a whole assortment of objects from lamps and shoes, to hatchets and jewelry. There was even an artillery cannon on the left side of the room, which made me a little uneasy that this chick had this kind of stuff in here. "Treasure hunter, indeed", I said. "How right you are, Finn." Alex said to me. He walked through the room, observing the walls carefully for whatever it was that he was looking for. "Come on, it has to be here somewhere…" Alex said in a low tone. "Dude, just what is it that you're trying to find?" I said, but Alex didn't respond as he was too focused on searching the room. After a minute, he approached a chest on the opposite side of the room. He was practically ransacking the thing, tossing things behind him. "Whoa!" I yelled, dodging a pair of hooks words that he threw behind him. "I've found it!" Alex yelled out. "Well..." I said to him. "Just what is this "item you can't leave without?"" He looked at me with a serious gaze. "Something priceless."

Alex pulled his arm back out of the chest, and in his hand was a sword, but not just any ordinary sword. The blade looked like it was made out of pure platinum and it had what appeared to be a small green sphere on the quillon block of the sword. "Finn, behold the unmistakable glory that is, the Enigma Sword." He said to me. Viewing the weapon, I could see that the blade started to glow as he was holding it. "That sword looks beast, bro", I said to him. "Did you win it in a fight?" "No, Finn", He said to me. "You see, this blade was a gift from my mentor, who actually was my adoptive father." _He was adopted…? _I thought to myself when he said that. "When I was about, seven… I think, I woke up in the middle of an island far outside of the Land of Ooo. I remember that I was badly hurt, and a large bearded man came and helped me up." Alex slowly rose up as he said that, and he had both hands around the grip of the sword. He stopped beside me and continued. "When I first met him, I had no idea that he was a warrior, and after he had helped me get back on my feet, he took me under his wing." _Are you ok, little one? Y- Yeah… I think so. Uh, where am i…? You're in the Archipelago of Gaia, or what was originally known as Bermuda. You look shaken. Do you know where your parents are? I- I… don't know… I can't remember… Do I even, have parents…? Don't worry, I'll help you out._ "For six years, he taught me everything I need to know being a warrior as far as combat, both armed and unarmed, hunting and survival went. The trials were tough, but he helped me along the way." Alex said to me. "He sounded like a cool person", I said to him. "Cool is an understatement, Finn. When I decided to become a freedom fighter, I vowed to stay neutral like he was. I've always fought for those who can't fight for themselves. He assisted me all the way up to my thirteenth birthday. At that point, I was able to live and venture out on my own. However, before I left he gave me this sword. He mentioned that the blade was very unique as only someone with a pure heart could fully utilize its potential. I still remember those last few sentences that he said to me…" _Alex, I want you to know that you are by far an outstanding disciple and an impeccable young man. You've shown me more happiness in these few years than any other time in my life. If nothing else, keep that sword as I reminder of me and that will never forget how much of an inspiration you are to me. _I was crushed by the whole thing. "The man who adopted you", I started to say. "Is he, still alive...?" Alex held his sword down and let out a sad sigh. "I'm afraid... I don't know, Finn. After I left, I would come back maybe once every other month just to visit, then when i came to visit him about two years ago, his home was in shambles and he was nowhere to be found... and he hasn't come back since." If that didn't hit you in the feels, then something's wrong.

Abel walked up beside Alex who was gripping the sword tightly and he looked like he was going to break down. "Alex... I- I'm sorry..." I said to him, and he turned and smiled. "I'm okay, bro. It's just, this sword is the only link to him that i have now. The worst part is, I don't even know who my real father was. I've thought to this day that whoever my real parents were abandoned me. Either that or they..." I could see that him talking about his past wasn't easy for him. "Don't worry about it, bro." I said to him. "Besides, I can relate too." He looked at me and let off a small smile. "Okay, enough with this sentimental drama." He said to me. "I've got what I need now lets go!" _Finally! _I thought to myself. He was making his way to the doorway until he stopped for a second. "Hey kid? You got any weapons of you're own, kid?" He asked. "Um, not at the moment", I replied. Come to think of it, the only weapon that I had before being imprisoned was a throwing dagger."(Shink!) "Then here, catch!" He said, tossing the pair of hook swords at me."Sweet!" I said, catching both of the blades. "Consider that a bonus." With that, he started to step outside of the room. I was about to start behind him when something caught my attention. On the side of the room where the cannon was, I saw a bright green strap sitting under a wool cloak. "Wait, is that..." Walking over to it, I could see that it was the strap of my backpack. "Oh, Man!" I yelled out making both Alex and Abel jump. "Hoo wee! Man I would've missed that!" I put the pair of hook swords in my backpack and closed it. "All that over a backpack... Jeez." Alex shook his head and was about to start down the hallway, but he stopped outside of the room. "Um, you okay bro?" I asked. Alex didn't say anything, but his expression took care of that. He was shaking, his face was pale, and his teeth were chattering. "C- C- C- Cru- "Crud..." That was all he could muster before I heard just what made act like that. _"Going somewhere, my sweet?"_

_Bubblegum's POV_

Normally, a princess shouldn't have to go through life or death situations constantly… Then again, I'm not normal anyway. "The things I have to put up with on a daily basis…" I said, shaking my head. "Bro, you think this is bad?" Jake said. "Please, dude." I simply frowned at him. "The heck is that supposed to mean?! I nearly died a few minutes ago! Could I at least get a lick of sympathy, Jake?!" I exclaimed. "Well, not trying to 1UP you or anything, but I've already seen the afterlife." Jake retorted. "It's not my exactly my idea of paradise_, _but it's not that bad. If it weren't for the endless loop of steak and ba-" "Wait a minute, You _DIED?!" _I said to him in disbelief. "Yeah, about a couple of years ago. We were dealing with Magic Man's antics and he tricked the King of Mars into executing me, thinking that I was him", Jake answered back. "And... just how did he manage to trick them?" I asked. "Well, he used his magic to take my form and I took the form of him. Let me tell you, Finn was so determined to prove my innocence that he-" Jake suddenly stopped moving. "Eh? Jake, what's..." "Shh! Do you hear that?" Listening carefully, we could hear what sounded like a wild commotion. "Yeah, I hear it too", I replied. Not too far in front of us was a sharp right curve leading into a large plant-covered dome. The ground was starting to shake as whatever was causing the commotion was approaching our location. _Uh oh... That doesn't sound good... _I thought to myself.

All of a sudden, an entire stampede of people flooded the path. "Watch out!" As i yelled that, Jake latched onto a huge branch above us and we watched as a couple hundred people rushed towards the Gate Bramble. A good number of them had broken shackles on their ankles. "Wait a minute, A few of those people looked like citizens of my kingdom!" I said to Jake. "Yeah, and it looked like they were running away from something." _For the sake of my sanity, please don't be another trap..._, I thought to myself. We got down and started to continue down the path and we were about to approach the curve when we saw two more people come around the same curve as the crowd from earlier. There was a man, a necromancer at that, holding a spellbook in one hand and he was holding his daughter's arm in another. "Excuse me, sir!" I yelled at them and the two stopped. "Yes, ma'am" he replied. "Sorry to bother you, but we're looking for our friend. He's a young human, and he wears a blue shirt and blue shorts." I said to him. "Come to think of it, was this human wearing a white bear hat?" He asked us. "Yes, that's Finn! Have you seen him?" Jake asked back. "Yes. In fact he, along with another human dressed as a bandit helped to free all of the prisoners from that accursed prison. The bandit in particular helped save my daughter", With that, he started to continue running with his daughter. "Wait!", Jake yelled out. "Quickly, my friend." He said to Jake. "Time is of the essence." "Did our friend escape with you guys as well?" Jake asked the man. "Not that I know of, my friend. If i'm not mistaken, both he and his friend stayed behind to ensure that everyone else had escaped. Farewell, and good luck finding your friend!" That was the last thing he said before he ran towards the Gate. "He's still in that prison?!" Jake started again, nearly freaking out. "We have to get him out of there, PB... um, PB?" I didn't acknowledge him right away because I was still thinking about what that man said. _Another human? But... I thought they were all gone... _"Bubblegum!" Jake yelled, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry, Jake. We have to hurry and get Finn out of there!" Not wasting anymore time, we made a rushed dash for the dome. Once inside, we could see a large, bright pink puddle on the ground. "That's the gateway into Maja's dimension", I said to Jake. "When we go through, we have to grab a hold of her house so we don't end up floating away into nothingness!" "Leave it to me!" With that reply, Jake literally cannonballed into the portal and into the sky dimension. We were falling through the endless sky for about 20 seconds until I spotted the house. "There, Jake!" I said, pointing to my left. "Hang on!" Jake said, grabbing onto the frame of the door. For some reason the door was wide open. We landed inside the main floor of the house. "This house is huge...", Jake said, scanning the area. "Any idea of where they might be?" All of a sudden we heard the sound of glass shattering upstairs. "Stay here, PB! I'm going up", Jake yelled as he ran up the stairs. "Hang on, buddy! I'm coming" "Be careful, Jake!"

_Alex's POV (Prior to PB &amp; Jake's entrance)_

In the eyes of a rogue, we're not supposed to show fear. If that's indeed true, than I was doing a poor job of it. "M- Maja... How did you..." I could barely force the words out of my mouth. Staring right into my eyes was Maja who, even though she was sporting a small smile, was far less than pleased with what Finn and I did. "Well, It seems you don't know my home as well as you _think _you do", Maja said. She was floating closer to me with every step back that I took. "I knew you were planning an escape, Alex, but I didn't think you would free everyone of my prisoners." She said to me. She was slowly getting more heated with every sentence. "The plans that I had for them would've been glorious... but you and that human...You ruined everything!" As Maja yelled that, the chandelier that was hanging over the main room of the house suddenly shattered. "Yipe!" I said in such a manly tone... not. _This is really bad... _"This atrocity will not go without proper judgement!" I gulped at that statement. I hadn't seen Maja this angry since when we were at Vista Point. "M... Maja, you know this isn't right. Those people didn't deserve what they were put through." "And why not?" She asked me. "I'm surprised that someone like you would flock to them. What have they done for you, Alex? The certainly did jack for me" , she said to me. "Maja, if these were the same guys that messed with you when we were younger it would be different, but this is completely insane!" I said. "What you're doing here is flat-out compulsive, don't you see that?" "Um, dude, you okay out there?" Finn asked me from in the room, but I was ignoring him. "Really? I was hoping you would see eye to eye with me, Alex, but it seems you're not alongside me." _It seems like that?! _I thought to myself. "Is that really how you feel, Maja?" "Quite, Alex" I sighed at her response. "Then it's obvious that the girl I befriended is no longer here. If this is how you truly are... then perhaps me thinking that you had a heart and that I cared was a joke, clearly", I said, turning away from her. She let out a shocked gasp when I said that. "A- Alex... Surely you don't mean that..." I didn't say anything else to her and I started to make my way back into the treasure room.

"Aah!" Next thing I know, my back met with the ceiling of Maja's treasure room. The plummet to the ground was just as unpleasant, and I dropped my sword as a result. "Oof!" "Alex!" Both Finn and Abel yelled in unison. They tried to run to help me, only to be thrown straight into the wall with a loud thud. "Fools! Stay away from him!" Maja declared out. She was slowly making her away towards Finn, who was struggling to get up. Abel was broken to pieces, unfortunately. "It's a shame. You two are the last couple of humans in existance. I don't want to mess up such pristine specimens, but you forced my hand." With that, Maja's eyes started to glow red and Finn's only response was a shrill scream that rattled the house. "Maja, Stop!" I started to run over to them, only to fall to the ground in pain. "Aaauugghhh!" The pain was just as bad as when she tortured me in the prison. "D- Don't do t- this!" I desperately tried to talk to her. "This could have been avoided, Alex, if you had just listened to me." Maja said in a cold tone. Finn screamed even louder, and he was gripping his body harder with every scream. In that instant, I could feel myself getting angrier with every passing second. "Aaahh! Maja, I'm begging you! Please stop!" I yelled out. Her only response was a low chuckle. I was holding my head in pain, for i just knew what was about to happen. _No... Not here! I have to calm down! If i hurt Maja, i'll never forgive myself! _I was praying for that thought to help. Unfortunately, the sight of Finn shedding tears dashed any chance of that happening. To put it short... I snapped.

_Finn's pov _

I legitimately felt like wanting to just be unconscious right on that floor. The fact that I was screaming my lungs out didn't help. _Is this... really how it ends... _I started to cry from the thought. I didn't think anyone could do anything... "I... Said... **STOP!**" ...or so I thought. All of a sudden, a bright flash filled the room, and Maja's attack subsided. Even though it hurt, I could still move around somewhat and see what was happening. "What the... Alex what are you do- (gasp)" That was all Maja could get out. I could see the terror that was Alex who's hair was flowing around like the wind was blowing it. He was radiating a lavender aura and his eyes were exactly the same color as his aura. The difference was that there were streaks of electricity going around his body, and he was shooting a death glare at Maja. "Oh... no..." I quietly said to myself. _He is way angrier than before... _Maja looked so pale-faced from fear that it was scary. She floated backwards away from him and Alex simply moved closer. "A- Alex, s-Stay back!" She yelled at him. She held her hand out at him which had turned red. Whatever she was doing didn't even phase him as he just kept coming. Her eyes were red now, as she was trying everything to stop Alex, but without success. "Alex, w- what happened to you-" (bump) In her fear, she had actually backed into a corner. Maja sank to the floor, shaking as her childhood friend was approaching her. I could only watch as Alex, who looked pissed beyond comprehension, was only inches away from the trembling witch. He stopped right in front of her, and a crazed smile was visible on his face. His canines looked almost like fangs, and he was raising his electricity-filled fist with a maniacal cackle. _No... don't do it, bro! _I thought to myself as I tried to walk over to him, but I could only crawl at best. Even that was difficult to do. Maja put her hands over her face, bracing for the inevitable.

**"No!" **Alex suddenly yelled out in a distorted voice, and he was holding his head. There were veins visible around his forehead, and he was screaming. "**I... I WON'T LET YOU HURT HER!" **With that declaration, Alex let out one last scream before he fell to his knees. He was panting hard, but his eyes were slowly turning back to normal. The aura around him had faded as well. Alex looked at his childhood friend, who was shaking uncontrollably in that corner. "Maja... I- I'm so sorry...", He said, holding his head down. She looked at him, but she was too stunned to speak. "Finn, are you okay...?" "I- I think so" I replied. I was slowly able to get back on my feet. "But... are you okay, Alex?" I asked him. "I'll live", He said, but before he could say anything else, more skeleton guards were standing outside of the room. "The rioters!" One of them yelled and they drew their weapons. "Sieze them!" As they were about to approach us, Alex suddenly grabbed my arm. " Brace yourself, kid! It's gonna be a rough ride!" "Wait, what do- aah!" Alex picked up his sword quickly and started running towards the other edge of the room. "A- Alex, wait!" Maja tried to say, but I guess he didn't hear her because he wasted no time jumping straight through the window, breaking the glass as he did so. "Woooaaahhh!" I yelled out. We were falling through the sky while Alex was holding onto my arm. "The entry back into our dimension will be a little disorienting, so hold on!" As we passed through the portal we ended up airborne for a few seconds before we both landed on the ground in our dimension. Alex landed on his feet wheras I... "Oof!" ...faceplanted on the ground. Getting up, I asked, "Now what do we do?" "What do you think? Keep Running!" He started making a mad dash through the woods. "Hey, wait up!" I said , giving chase through the dark woods. All the while we had no clue what was happening at Maja's house.

_Jake's POV_

So it seemed we were about to make a rescue of sorts. (Glass Shatters ) "Hang on, Buddy!" I ran up those stairs without another thought and Peebs followed behind me. At the top of the stairs there were a bunch of enchanted skeletons standing in front of an open room. "Intruders!" One of them yelled out, alerting the others of my presence. "Out of my way, you skinless punks!" I yelled at them. "Yes, i'd listen to him if I were you", PB started, "If you value a second life." All of the skeletons drew their weapons and they were about to charge us. "Militia, stand down!" A voice yelled out from the open room. A teenage witch floated out from the room and into the hallway just in front of the guards. "Who do we have here?" She started to speak. "I presume you're Maja, the Sky Witch", I asked her. "Your presumption is correct, dog." She replied, turning her attention to PB. "Well look who else is here." Maja spoke with a smirk. "Bonnie, isn't this a surprise." PB frowned at her response. "Well, Majarie... I guess the feeling is mutual." _M__ajarie...? _I thought to myself, trying not to laugh. "Ack! You little...!" Maja's face was beet red at PB's response. "What's the matter, embarrassed? I guess treasure hunters really do lack a sense of humor" Pb said to her. "Please. The term "Embarrassment" shouldn't be used to describe my feeling, but rather a certain prissy child." "Prissy?! How dare you! At least I don't have to resort to fear tactics to gain respect! That inferiority complex of yours is hasn't changed since high school, has it?" Maja had a shocked reaction for a moment, then she started to chuckle. "Fear is power, little girl." Maja replied. "Something I was able to gain through will alone and not by succeeding past failures. You think you know how to lead a kingdom? Kid, you couldn't lead a parade." My jaw dropped at her rebuttal. PB's left eye was twitching out of pure rage. Her expression could be best summed up by words akin to, "No she didn't...!"

"Guards!" She called out to her militia. "Pursue my two prizes! Do not let them get away! I will deal with the unwelcome guests myself." "Understood, Mistress!" The guards proceeded to enter the open room. "Hold on, did she say pursue? Finn must have jumped out of the window!" I said to PB. "Yeah, and someone else is with him", she replied. Maja was floating slowly towards us. "I suppose giving you two the hospitality of my prison should qualify for trespassing here", Maja declared. "You'll try!" I said to her. I was not about to be stopped here. "Gladly." With that, she held her hand out and started to charge us, only to stop just as she got to me. "Huh...?" She was frozen in that one posture. I looked at PB, who had the immobilizer in her hand and a clever smile on her face. "At least I have self-restraint, Maja. Be grateful that I didn't let my emotions get the best of me." "What should we do with her?" I said to PB. "Let her stay like that. Besides, i'm more than ready to get out of this dimension." "Truer words have not been spoken!" With that, we ran back to the entrance and headed back to our dimension. Only one thing was left to be done.

_Alex's POV_

I knew things had gone on far enough in that house. My top priority now was just getting Finn and myself as far away from there as possible... which didn't exactly help that I was booking it through those woods. "Come on, Kid! We're so close to freedom, I can feel it!" I yelled behind me. I was hopping over bushes and jumping off tree branches like a hyperactive monkey. It took me a second to realize there was no response. "Uh, Finn..." I skidded to a stop. Finn was nowhere to be found. "Oh, that ain't good..." I waited there for about a minute, thinking that Finn had gotten lost in the woods. Just as I was about to turn around, Finn appeared out of a few bushes. He was panting hard, and his face was a little blue. "(wheezing) Dude... you must... be on speed or something..." Finn said in between breaths. "Nope. I'm just that fast", I replied. "Really? You had to have been doing at least 30, bro." Finn said. I smirked at his statement, but as I was going to respond there were a bunch of guards approaching us a good ways away. "Complain later, kid! We have to get outside of this forest!" With that, we both started running. After a minute or two, we reached a huge wall of plant life. "Crud, we're trapped!" Finn said, hitting against the wall. "Not quite, kid. This is a Gate Bramble, kind of like a water filter, except it filters actual life." I ran my hand against the wall, and the wall turned red in some areas, but not a lot. "We have to be as calm as possible as not to disrupt the Gate." I said, as turned my back to the wall. Finn followed exactly as I did.

We put our backs against the wall and tried to be as calm as possible. We were awkwardly lying against the wall for a good minute before we figured out that we weren't passing through the Gate. "O- Kay... this is not working", Finn said. "Yeah, I realize that", I replied. The guards were right in front of us now. "Our queen demands you surrender now or face greater suffering!" They all yelled in unison. I covered my nose and mouth with my scarf and drew my sword which started to glow, and Finn took his new hook swords out of his bag. "Neither is in our best interests." Finn said. "Likewise. And if you thought I was troublesome in Maja's prison, you won't be able to fathom what i'm capable of without restrictions!" I said. The two of us were more than ready to deck these clowns when all of a sudden a flash of yellow sent them flying into the sky. We looked up in the air with confused expressions. "Uh... what just happened?" I said to Finn, who was sporting a wide smile. "Jake happened!" In front of us was a large dog and a pink girl riding him. "The cavalry is here, good buddy!" Finn went and tackled the two who were just as happy to see him. "I can't believe you're okay, bro", said the dog to Finn. "I am, and it's all thanks to him", he said pointing to me. "The pink girl looked at me with a warm smile. "We owe you much for your assistance to our friend. Thank you so much", she said to me. "Bro, anyone who helps out my bro is a friend to me! Thanks", said the dog. I couldn't help but smile. It's these kind of reactions that make me happy to be a freedom fighter. "Not a problem."

Finn turned around to face me with an overjoyed expression. "So, what do you say about this crazy day?" Finn asked me. Both of his friends looked at me with raised eyebrows "Hmm, i'd say it's one of my better Mondays..." They all started to laugh.

_It's good to be free._

**And thus ends the great escape! Man, that was long. Finn is reunited with his friends and Alex is a free kid again! So... what happens now? Find out in the next chapter. Reviews and PMs are welcome!**


	10. Chapter 9: Solitude, Finally

**Liberation is such a good feeling, is it not? Before we continue, I want to thank all of the viewers that liked the story. To see my story reach 1000 views is downright amazing, and I'm happy you all approve! I wish I could just find the words to further express my-**

_**Alex: Hey! Can we please drop the sentimental crud, dude? They didn't come here to sit through a gratitude monologue, they want to read an epic story! Now get to it!**_

_**Abel: Dude, cut the guy some slack. It's not his fault he shows more emotion than you do.**_

_**Alex: (Glaring) This coming from the same guy who got denied by Maja in 5 seconds. You can't talk, bro.**_

_**Abel: I'm a skeleton. You think because we lack organs that were invincible dude? **_

_**Alex: Read my lips. You, are, UNDEAD! You'll just respawn wherever you died, whereas the rest of us don't get such luxury, smart aleck!**_

_**Finn: Jeez, I thought they were friends...**_

**Okay… enough with that. Let's carry on…**

_Alex's POV, Verdant Plains_

After we got out of Bramble Woods, we were welcomed by warm sunlight and blue sky, even though it was getting close to sunset. The air was soothing and it felt so rejuvenating to see my dimension. "So you've never been to this area of Ooo before?" Finn asked me. "Oh, let's not say ever, Finn. I'm just accustomed to going to the different kingdoms directly as opposed to cutting through the Grasslands." We were walking up a large hill among acres of green grass and trees. Finn and the pink girl were riding their canine companion, whereas I just followed on foot. "I'm surprised, bro", His dog said to me. "Everyone knows the Verdant Plains border 2 elemental kingdoms, both the Ice and Fire kingdoms, in addition to the Candy Kingdom." "Indeed, not to mention that the area is very scenic as well", said the girl riding him. _Yeah, this is a pretty nice area, _I thought to myself. "In fact, the Candy Kingdom is my home." I looked at her. "Oh, is it really", I asked her. "Yes. Actually, I don't believe I introduced myself", she said to me. Finn's dog stopped and turned to look at me. "I am Princess Bubblegum, Overseer of the Candy Kingdom." She said to me. "And I'm Jake the dog, best friend of the legend himself, Finn the Human!" He said to me. With that, I took a bow for everyone there. "It's an honor to meet you all" I said to them. "My, you're so formal", Princess Bubblegum said to me. "So Alex, why don't you fill the others in about you", said Finn with a smile. "Alex? That name… Have we met before", Princess Bubblegum asked me. "I can't say for certain, while I have been to the Candy kingdom a few times." I replied, and we started walking again. "Yeah, and what's with the scarf, bro? You cold", Jake asked me. Now that I think about it, I hadn't removed my rogue scarf since we left the forest. "Oh this? This is just my insignia. It's not to promote wrongdoing or anything, it's just to show that i'm a rogue." I told them. "Surely you don't need to wear it out in this weather. Moreover, you were just about to tell us about you", She said to me. In some aspects, she was just as straightforward as Finn.

"Princess Bubblegum, Jake, and Finn… before I present myself, can you promise to keep this between us", I asked them all. They looked at me with concerned expressions. "Despite making acquaintances with you, I'd prefer if only you guys know about me. I consider the identity of my species very confidential, if you will. Finn has shown that I can at least trust him, so could you please bear with me?" They looked at each other for a moment. "If it means that much, then we will honor your desire", Princess Bubblegum declared, and Jake gave me a thumbs up. "Thank you, guys." Saying that, I removed my scarf from around my face, revealing my identity. Jake and Princess Bubblegum gasped upon seeing my face. "As I live and breathe...", Princess Bubblegum said. "Holy mother of the mystic owl..." Jake was just as surprised. "The people call me Eerie... Alex Eerie. Guardian of the east, and as of recent, the second-to-last human alive." Both of them for silent for a good few minutes. "Well Alex, let me personally say that you have one of the coolest names I've ever heard", Jake said to me. "Oh... well, thanks", I said, looking back at him. "Alex Eerie... Hold on! I remember you now!" PB suddenly yelled out. "You're an agent with the Zhentarim Underground, aren't you?" With a sigh, I smiled at the Princess. "That's correct, Princess", I said to her. "Jeez, you don't have to say Princess all of the time. Just call me PB", she said to me. "Wait, Zentarum? What's that?" Finn asked. "No, it's pronounced "Zhentarim", Finn, and to answer your question, It's a concealed coalition designed to fight injustice around the planet", I said to Finn. Judging by his expression, i'd say that Finn had no clue what that was. "I have never heard of such a group. Must be a pretty famous group", said Finn. I looked at him as we walked through the grasslands. "Well, for one, we don't call it a _concealed _coalition for nothing, kid. Secondly, the word "Zhentarim" certainly wasn't synonymous with the word "famous" behorefand. Quite the opposite, actually." Finn was looking at everyone around us. "So... They weren't good people before?" He asked us. "They really weren't" PB said to him._  
_

_Bubblegum's POV_

"You see, about a century ago, there was an underground network of people including merchants, mystic beings, and others that were known as just the Zhentarim, but people are more familiar with this group as the Dark Nexus. At the time, they served as a criminal organization, led by a group of ruthless mercenaries responsible for the destruction of many kingdoms within a very short time span. If i'm not mistaken, FOUR kingdoms in total were left in shambles as a result." Finn and Jake were in awe of the whole thing. "In fact, one of the most prosperous kingdoms at the time was the Urban Kingdom, or what I call the "City of Madness", respectively", Alex said to us. "The Urban Kingdom (A.K.A. Urbania) was deemed untouchable all throughout the world. With it's vast defenses and streamlined commerce, it made for a very dignified region. At least, until the Dark Nexus came along." I nodded as Alex finished his statement. "2 decades later, the Dark Nexus launched a siege operation to bring the seemingly impenetrable kingdom to it's knees. The forces of Urbania fought valiantly against the Nexus, until they unleashed a devastating weapon upon them. Modern people at the time called the weapon the Beam of Reckoning, but us humans referred to the weapon as a "Railgun"", I said to them. "As a result, the city's landscaped was left ravaged and unrecognizable from the attack. The Nexus, who's morale skyrocketed from the successful attack, grew larger in numbers began working in between the different kingdoms of Ooo, taking on the name "Zhentarim" as to symbolize their loyalty to the Dark Nexus. Their goal as of that point was to rule all of the world with an iron fist." As I finished talking, Alex had an eyebrow raised at me. "Man, you certainly know your history, PB", Alex said to me. "Oh, why thank you. I do my best to know as much about Ooo as i can", I said to him. "Hold on", Jake said, "If the Zhentarim were truly as evil as you say they are, why are they good as of now?" "Well, that's the best part, Jake", Alex said.

"So about a year after Urbania fell, tensions started to grow between the Zhentarim and the Dark Nexus in general. The mercenaries in charge were becoming power hungry and corrupt. In their conquest for power the Nexus started hunting those who started to lose trust in them and gradually it got to the point where those still remaining in the Zhentarim started to ally with the other kingdoms. Knowing that war was inevitable, The kingdoms of Ice, Fire, and Candy, in addition to the Zhentarim formed the Stalwart Alliance in hopes to stop the Dark Nexus from taking over the world." Alex's description of the whole thing was spot on. "That being said, within a 20 year time period, a nationwide uprising took place between the Dark Nexus and the Stalwart Alliance. Given that there were citizens working for the BN among the different kingdoms, they made for a pretty tough adversary. The war lasted unrelentingly went on before the Alliance eventually prevailed, ultimately quashing any resistance from the Nexus." Bubblegum said. "So what became of the Zhentarim", Finn asked. "Well, It's believed that we simply ceased to exist after the war. What they don't know is that we still operate under the radar, but our motives are far more positive than before. Only a select few people, you guys included, know that the Zhentarim are still around", Alex said. "Come to think of it, just how did you know that I was a part of the ZU, PB?" Memories of my years in high school started flooding back to me. "I don't really talk about my past, but just before I turned old enough to succeed my father's throne, There was a situation at my high school. A group of demons were terrorizing the student body with their powers for a while until a particular group of teens decided to intervene. When it came to the point that they tried to attack my friends and I, a young boy about Finn's age came a helped us. And when I tried to get his name, he simply said "Eerie, that's all you need to know", and he left." "Wait... That was you?!" Alex said to me. "That's right! And I never got the chance to properly thank you for that deed, Alex." I must say that the look of astonishment on his face was pretty priceless. "I... I never would've guessed that you were a princess", He said. "Funny thing, at the time I thought you were like an android or something, but you actually are human."

_Finn's POV_

The sun was starting to set and we had approached the outer wall of the Candy Kingdom. When we reached the bridge leading into the kingdom, Princess Bubblegum hopped off Jake. "Well, this is my stop. I must say, this has been one very interesting day indeed", She said to us. "So, what are you gonna do now, Princess", Finn asked her. "Well before I do anything else that be deemed strenuous, I'm gonna get some shut-eye", She answered to us. "Hopefully we all can get a little bit of breathing room in now. Alex, rogue or not, please feel free to visit the Candy Kingdom sometime. I would love to find out more about you, and don't worry, you're secret is safe, I promise", she said to Alex. "I appreciate it! Thanks for the assistance, I coul- Wait, what's going on over there?" Looking over on our left, there was a large crack in the Candy wall and one of the gumball guardians was trying to hold a replacement piece of candy wall in place while some of the candy citizens were doing their hardest to direct them. "Easy! Keep it steady", one of the candy guards was" standing on the wall directing the GG. "No, no no, go left go left! Wait, what?!" As they were bringing the piece down, a wrong call by a few of the citizens caused the GG to drop the fresh piece of wall. The vibrations from the wall hitting the ground caused the people on the wall to lose balance. "Woah, Aah! (Wilhelm Scream)" As a result the gap in the wall actually got larger from the accident. Holy stuff, what happened?", I said. "Please, don't ask...", Bubblegum said, shooting Jake a scowl. "Dude, I said I was sorry!" Jake said to PB. Sighing, PB made her way back inside her Kingdom. "I'll see you guys later!" She said, waving as she got deeper into the Kingdom. "Later, Peebs!" I said, waving. We turned around and jake started to yawn. "Well, I don't know about you guys but I could go for some Z's right now." By now, stars were visible in the sky and sun had set about halfway over the horizon. "Hey, Alex. You want to see our house?" He looked at me , a little confused. "Hold on, you don't live in the Candy Kingdom", he asked me. "Nope. We heroes prefer to live independently. So... you coming?" He puzzled the thought for a second. "Aw, what the heck. I'm in." Jake kneeled down. "Then hop on, kid", Jake said to Alex, who shook his head. "Thanks bro, but I'm fine just walking." We both looked at him with confused expressions. "Dude, you've been walking since we left the Forest. You sure you don't want to rest your legs a bit", I asked him. "Not to offend you Jake, but I've been deprived of green grass and blue sky for almost half a year. I want to savor the moment, if it's alright with you." Jake and I nodded in agreement. I guess you couldn't blame him for wanting to walk. _No wonder he's so fast and agile... _"Okay then! Just follow us this way" Jake said to Alex.

With PB back at her Kingdom, We proceeded to head towards the Tree house. Alex was just admiring the panoramic view of Ooo in general as we walked. "It's beautiful, isn't it", I said to him. "You're telling me. It's not often that I get to see places like this, let alone even have the time to just stay there", Alex replied. A good 15 minutes of sight-seeing through the grasslands eventually led us to our house. "Well, here we are", I said, jumping off of Jake. "Holy mackerel! It looks more like an actual Fort than a house", Alex said to us. "A residence fit only for the fittest", Jake said to Alex. The moonlight reflected off the windows of the tree house as we approached the front door. "Welcome to our humble abode, Alex." "Well, a hero's stronghold has to look impressive, doesn't it?" Jake and I used a few minutes to show Alex the different areas of the house. We had just entered the Den of the fort when- "Dude, what the-?!" Alex was "ambushed" from above by BMO. "Finn, Jake! This strange person was following you so I willing sacrificed myself to save you guys!" BMO was actually trying to Karate Chop Alex, or BMO Chop him which didn't do anything. "BMO Relax. He's a friend. Alex, this is BMO. BMO, this is Alex." They both looked at each other for a second and then smiled. "Sorry about attacking you", BMO said to Alex. "No worries. I'm used to it." I chuckled as they made up. "Hey, you guys wait here. I'll be back." With that, I walked outside of the fort.

Looking up in the sky, I smiled. _I still can't believe I found another human here. I know he's shady, but I have to know if there are others out there somewhere. There just has to. _The stars were twinkling in the sky as I finished my thought. As I was about to go back in, I ran into Alex. "Hey dude, you wanna play some games or something", I asked him. "Yeah, I think i'm gonna call it a night bro; it's kinda getting late. I must say, this place is too cool, though", Alex said to us. "Then why don't you stay, tonight? We can get to know each other a little better." "That's a generous offer, but I'm gonna have to decline. I need to get back to my home and make sure everything's still there. I appreciate everything, though." Alex started to walk outside of the house. "Hold on, don't you need a way to get there, Alex?" "I have a way", he said while drawing his sword. He spun it in the air three times and the blade turned sky blue. As it did, there was a small breeze and his sword actually levitated over the ground. "See you around kid." "Alex, Wait! What about-" All of a sudden a blast of wind knocks me off me feet. Getting up I could see Alex "surfing" on his sword and hovering into the darkness. "Dang It! I should have seen that coming." I was a little miffed that Alex wouldn't stay so I could get my questions answered, but just as turned to re-enter the fort, something caught my eye. "Eh, what's that?" On the ground, there was a folded piece of paper on the ground. Picking it up, I realized that it was the map of Ooo that originally was sitting on the table in the Den. "Hey Finn, what you got there?", Jake asked me. "Oh, uh... Just something I dropped", I lied. "Oh. Well, you should get some rest, dude. You probably hadn't had a decent sleep in days." With that, Jake headed up to the bedroom. Closing the front door, I examined the map and noticed some writing on the bottom. _Relax kid, I haven't forgotten my promise. We're both in need of a good rest, though. Meet me tomorrow at these coordinates, but make sure you're not followed. I'll be waiting... _Looking at the map, I linked the coordinates together. _Hm. The location is just northwest of Marauder Village. I wonder what's there... _With that thought in mind, I headed up to my room, eagerly awaiting tomorrow. Here's hoping for a day without any problems.

_Alex's POV_

As the cool night air blew around me as I rode my sword over a large river, I couldn't help but think about everything that happened. "I don't get what's happening here. Meeting Finn, who is another human, and Bubblegum, who I barely remember back in high school. Is this just coincidental... or something else." Hovering at almost 60 mph, I just let the thought dissipate as continued to ride through the forest back to my home. The sound of nightly ambiance was so much more appealing than what I remember, given that I hadn't been out here in a while. Taking a deep breath, I entered a deep Maple tree path leading to my home.

_Ahh. Solitude, Finally..._

**Chapter 9, in a nutshell. Everyone can now rest easy knowing that they made it back to their respective homes in one piece. So what awaits Finn tomorrow at the rendezvous point? Will he learn anything vital about the mysterious rogue, and if so, just how vital is his info? Find out-**

_**Abel: Dude, I thought you wanted us all to quote, "Act natural" during the escape plan!**_

_**Alex: FYI, we did need your help to carry out the plan, and you could have helped us with the guards too, idiot!**_

**... They're still arguing?**

_**Finn: Yep.**_

**Well, Anyway... Find out how it all unfolds in chapter 10! Reviews and/or PM's are welcome!**


	11. Chapter 10: An Eerie Situation

** So we have now hit the first double-digit chapter of the story, it seems. Our hero is enthusiastically awaiting new revelations about the rogue. Let's see what happens.**

_Finn's POV, Tree Fort_

At about 8:00, I woke up in a puddle of drool. Actually, more of a _river _of drool. "Ugh, what happened last night?" "You were having a dream about apples, I think", Jake said. He was peeking his head from out of his usual drawer/bed. "You were so into your dream that you actually started eating the bed." "I what?!" Sure enough, looking at my bed, about half of the pillow that I was laying on was ripped off with the other half wet and lying on the floor. In addition, the covers on the bed weren't in good shape either. "Oh... wow", I said. "Now that I think about it, I didn't eat much of anything while I was being held captive." Jake suddenly hopped up when I said that. "You haven't eaten anything in that time?!" "Well no, but don't worry, i'm- Aah!" As soon as I say that, I'm yanked out of bed and into the kitchen. "Wait right there, Buddy. Grub's on the way!" With that, Jake started stretching his limbs in each direction, grabbing pans, milk, juice, bacon, etc. "Whoa whoa whoa, Jake! Five minutes of clanking and sizzling later led to BMO entering the kitchen as well. "Finn, what is with all the noise this morning", BMO asked. "It's just Jake. He's worried sick because I didn't ea- ack!" Once again, I'm cut off from finishing my sentence as a large spoon of scrambled eggs and Applewood bacon enters my mouth. "Less talking, more munching!" As I'm chewing, Jake starts pouring pancake batter onto a skillet. He was in such a hurried panic that he started hyperventilating at one point. "Dude... (gulp) Calm down, I'm fine", I say to him. "UNACCEPTABLE!" The way Jake yelled that out was practically spot on with Lemongrab's version. "You can't be _Fine, _you need to be _GREATER _than fine. You need to be _**STUFFED!**_" As much as I knew he was only trying to be helpful, he was going just a tad bit cray-cray. "Jake, take it easy. It's not like i'm gonna starve or some... holy..." In that instant, a stack of flapjacks reaching halfway up the house vertically was placed right in front of me. "You might say that Finn, but I'm your best friend and I know what's good for you! That said, you're not going anywhere until I'm convinced you can't handle anymore", Jake declared, leaving me wide-mouthed. Did he really think I could handle this type of "Breakfast Special"? BMO, who was astonished by Jake's reaction, slowly backed out of the kitchen. "Bon Appetit!" That's Jake for you.

An hour passed and I was dressed and ready to roll. "Whew, that was something else..." I said. Letting out a belch, I decided to train a little with my new arsenal. After getting through most of that perilous meal, I made it a priority to at least work off that food. "Uh oh", I said while staring at my new hook swords. Although I was familiar with the weapon, I had never actually used the weapons outside of display. "Dang, I really should've asked Alex how to use these things correctly." "Hey Finn!" Jake suddenly called out to me. "You're feeling pretty active today. What's on your mind", Jake asked. I looked up at the clear sky and sighed. "Well, what would you do if you met someone like you but that someone is a bit... evasive?" Jake walked up and stopped beside me. "If I were you, I'd keep pressing until you get what you need. I can't help wondering, is this about PB, Finn?" I looked at him with a disgruntled expression. "What, no! I- It's actually... About Alex." Jake was a little worried. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?" "Of course not dude. The thing is, I figured he would be the type that would want to talk about his memories with someone like me. But, what if you were... I don't know..." Jake put his arm on my back. "You're worried he's not what he seems?" "Yeah. What if I really am getting my hopes up for nothing?" Jake laid down on the ground and stared into the blue sky. "I guess we won't know for certain unless we meet him again." Which was just what I new he was going to say. He didn't know about the message from Alex last night, given I was going there without letting him know. I sighed. "Jake, there's something I meant to tell you last night." I filled him in on what happened just after Alex left.

_Alex's POV, Marauder Village_

It was about 10:30 in the morning when I reached the village. After getting a well deserved rest in who knows how long, I was feeling unusually jubilant today. "Man, I haven't felt this good in a while." I was lying against a large tree with my hood on in the center of the village. The marauders themselves were up to their usual daily roughhousing. "You ready for some pain, pal?" One of them said while wielding a mace. "You're on, wimp" said his opponent, who had on a pair of spiked gauntlets. _Wow, these guys are certainly active today_, I thought to myself. The villagers, aside from the marauders, were just being themselves. Looking around, I could see that a couple of the marauders were approaching me. "Hey hey hey! It's the man himself!" One of them said. A bunch of them turned their attention to me. "Alex, my man!" "What's up, people", I said to them. The marauders know me pretty well, given that I helped defend the village after an Outlander raid that happened a while ago. That, and whenever I'm looking for a good fight, this is usually my go-to place. "Alex, We've got a bare knuckle challenge going on at noon. Feel like throwing down with the big boys", said the marauder holding the mace. "Gonna have to take a rain check on that offer. I've got more pressing matters at hand." He looked at me with a smirk. "Ahhhhh, you don't know what you're missing, kid!" I could only chuckle at his response. "Don't think that this is a "White towel" situation gentlemen. I intend to school you all real soon. I promise that!" "And we'll be waiting. Right, men?" All of them let out a battle grunt in agreement and proceeded to beat the living tar out of each other. _Mindless violence just for the heck of it. Ahh... I love being a rogue._

As I was waiting, I decided to rest for a minute until Finn arrived. I was about to doze off until- "Hey Alex!" A familiar voice called out to me from a distance. Looking straight ahead, Finn was coming up to me. "Glad you could make it, Kid", I said while walking up to him. "So, you made sure nobody followed you here" I asked Finn. "Not a soul knows otherwise", Finn replied. As we were about to head off, something about Finn threw me off a little and I looked at him. "What's wrong, dude?" He asked me. "That hat of yours, Finn", I said to him. "What about it?" "I- I not sure, but I can almost swear that I've seen that particular hat before..." I was trying to think back on why it looked so familar, however nothing was coming to mind. "You have? Seriously?!" Finn's eyes widened when I said that. "Where? How? Why! Tell me, bro!" He was overjoyed by my statement, but I didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing. "I don't really know, to be honest. If something comes to mind, I'll let you know." Finn calmed down a little. "Oh, OK." Nodding, We started to make our way to the northern edge of the village. "You're gonna be dumbfounded when you see this", I said.

For about ten minutes, we walked through the mountains. Soon, we hit a very thin path within the mountains which we continued down until we hit a dead end. There was nothing but mountains in front and beside us. "This is the rendezvous point, Finn." When I said that, Finn looked at me as if I was crazy. "Bro, there's nothing here" Finn said to me. "It looks like that, but just watch" I replied. As the clouds moved, the sun started to shine straight into the area we were in. As soon as it did, there was what appeared to be a ripple-like effect on the area of mountain in front of us. "Correction", I said, making my way to the ripple. "_THIS_ is the rendezvous point." With that, I walked into the ripple, straight into the mountain. "What the..." Finn said. He walked into the secret threshold and his jaw dropped. "Welcome to the Epsilon Village, Finn." Hidden inside of the mountains was an entire network of houses, stores and even a few castles around the area. It was your Ooo equivalent of a gated community. "I don't believe what I'm seeing here. All of this was hidden around Marauder Village this whole time", Finn said. "That's right. Unknown to the rest of the world, the Epsilon Village takes pride in it's private and undisturbed location. Only a select few people, including the three of us know of it's whereabouts" I said. _Good god, how many places have I not known about around Ooo...? Finn _thought of that, until he remembered something that threw him off. "Hold on, what do you mean "Three of us"", He asked me, and I looked at him with a clever smirk. "Seriously, dude? You think I don't know that's Jake doubling as your backpack? You can drop the act, dude." We looked at each other for a good few seconds until Jake reformed himself on the ground. "How did you...", Jake started to say, before I answered him. "I can sense any/all heat energies around me within a 100 yard radius. Even then I would have found you guys out eventually, even if I couldn't sense him." Finn and Jake looked at me with sheepish expressions. "Okay, you got me", Jake said. "But understand this, Finn is my best bud and I will not let anything happen to him. You got that?" Jake had the most serious glare imaginable. "Relax, bro. I'll let it slide this time. But no one else can know about this area, OK?" They both responded in unison with a definitive "Got it" and a thumbs up. "Good. So then, follow me and we'll get right down to business."

_Finn's POV, Epsilon Village_

The three of us proceeded to walk through the secret village, filled with people from just about every kingdom. "As you can see, this village is a symbol of mutual respect and independence. Despite a lack of government, we don't allow anyone to attempt to take over the city with evil intentions." "So there is no prince or princess here", Jake asked. "Nope. The people govern themselves and as such we maintain balance accordingly." "So, is this your home, Alex?" He shook his head. "No, i'm afraid not. I might just show you where I live one day, but in the meantime I can at least make good on my current promise", he said and he motioned us to follow. In the center of the village, there was a large building with a bit of a yellow luminescence. The building's name was Minerva's Tavern. "Allow me to personally introduce you to my favorite hangout spot." Alex walked into the tavern and we followed behind him. "Whoa..." Jake and I said in unison. Inside, there was a bar in one area, an arcade in another and even a combat room in another. There were a lot of chairs and holo-projectors around the middle of the tavern, and all of the occupants looked like they were between 15 and 30 in human years at best. "This is basically Vista Pointe, but in a modernized sense. Pretty nice, right?" Jake and I both stood in awe of the place. "It's... awesome", I replied. We were about to walk through the tavern, until Alex stopped us. "Hey Finn, you know you can take your hat off in here", he said. "Oh, um... I would, but i'd rather keep it on." "Come on, bro!" Jake said to me. "Live a little." I thought about it for a second, then decided to just stuff the hat into my bag. As I did, my golden hair, partially covered my eyes and fell halfway down to my neck. Both Alex and Jake looked at me in surprise. "Whoa... I didn't think you actually had hair... Anyway, let's chill out", Alex said. We sat down at a table just outside of the entrance to the Arcade area. "Seriously, you guys hepled me out a lot this week, especially you, Finn. For that, you've earned your wish. Ask me anything", Alex said while sporting a smile, and Jake started patting my back. I was sweating a little and my heart was racing quickly at that point. _Oh man... I didn't think I was going to get this opportunity. _I took a deep breath and let the words escape my mouth. "I have to know, are there any more humans besides the two of us, Alex?" Alex looked down at the table and his smile fell. "I... I really wish I knew, Finn. Unfortunately, I always believed that I was the only one of my kind up to now." Alex turned his head towards the large window beside the exit. "If there indeed are others besides us... We haven't yet found them." It must have been hard for him to have to say that.

"Alex, it's okay", Jake said, reassuringly. "At least now we both know that there are definitely more than just yourselves here, right?" The statement didn't come out as well as he would've liked, but I guess Alex understood what he was going for, as he smiled a little. "I wish I had a dog as a best friend", Alex said. "Trust me, this guy is a bit of a hassle", I said and Jake looked at me. "Say what? You think it's easy to have to babysit an accident-prone teenager all the time?" "A- Accident-Prone?! Well excuse me for saving your butt on several occasions, jerk!" As the two of us were quarreling, Alex couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight. "Hehe. You guys are just like the rest of my team. They can never agree on anything." Jake raised an eyebrow at Alex. "Come on, we're not that argumentative all the time. When it comes down to a serious situation, we're practically in sync with each other", Jake said. "I couldn't have said it better myself", I said. Alex smirked and then reached behind him. "I understand exactly what you mean. It's kind of like the connection between myself and my sword." As he pulled out sword, it started to glow like usual, drawing the attention of a few of the people around us. "Holy crud, that's a beast sword", Jake said. "Oh, that reminds me? You never mentioned how the sword works, Alex. How can someone ride a freaking sword like a skateboard?" Alex looked at the blade. "Only those without pure evil can even touch this weapon. In base form, the sword itself is virtually indestructible. However, one of it's most important attributes is that it can merge with any element it comes into contact with." Alex then turned his attention to a candle that was on the table we were sitting at. "For example, see the flame on the wick of this candle?" Alex held the blade over the flame. "W- Wait, Alex! Be careful-" As I was trying to stop him, the flame contacted with the sword, and the sword immediately turned a bright reddish-orange with a fire emblem replacing the normal green jewel in the sword. "Behold, Finn and Jake. The Pyro Sword!" The two of us were awestruck by the sword. _Jeez, and I thought the Demon and Grass Swords were too powerful... _"Hold on, If the sword is made of fire now, will your sword be stuck like that?" I asked. "Nope. You see, If the sword is left idle for ten seconds, it reverts back to the Enigma Sword." Sure enough, the sword returned to it's platinum shade. "Wow..." I said. "It's funny. Besides a select few people, this sword is the only real friend I have." The three of us chuckled at his response. "And what am I? Chopped Liver?"

As soon as we heard that voice Alex turned around. "Abel?!" He said, in disbelief. " In the flesh. Or bone, rather", Abel Replied. Alex slowly rose up and stood face to face with his partner. I was expecting them to shake hands or even hug. Both thoughts were disproved as Alex thrust kicks Abel straight into the Arcade room. "Hey! What was that for?" Abel slowly got back up. "WHERE IN SAM HILL WERE YOU?!" Alex yelled out. "I kinda spawned back at my grave in the grassland caves. Given the circumstances, I figured i'd just kick back here before I headed back to the Sky Dimension." Alex's eye was twitching from his response. "So you're telling me... While you were living it up in solitude, It never occurred to you that we were still being attacked by Maja, you skinless donkey?! The two of us could have died in there, dickweed!" The guys in the Arcade simply looked on as the situation unfolded. "Hey, easy! I knew you wouldn't be had so easily, bro. Everyone was awaiting your great escape from the prison. Right, Gang?" "As he said that, the people in the Arcade started to clap and cheer. "Dude, the notoriety is too much", I said. "Jake, what do you..." As i went to say that, I found myself alone. Jake decided to try his luck against a random opponent with a game of Card Wars. "Prepare yourself, dwarven warrior. For you are about to get rocked", declared Jake. "Really...?" I said. "Abel, i barely know half these guys in here. Furthermore, I can tell that these guys aren't even the slightest bit concerned with my well being", said Alex. Abel returned a troll face. "Are you sure about that? Because I think a certain elite archer would beg to differ on that statement, good sir." Alex was quiet for a few seconds before he let out a tiny, yet surprised gasp. "Wait, she's here?" Alex asked Abel. "You'd be correct, Alex. Oh, and P.S: She doesn't know you're here." Abel was pointing to the room adjacent to the arcade where the giant bar was located. "Hang on a minute, Finn. I'll be back", Alex said, and he started to make his way to the Bar room along with Abel. "Well, Jake's busy... so I may as well go with Alex."

Entering the room they went into, there were many people sitting down and lying against the walls of the room. The scent of hot wings and french fries filled the room, and it almost made my mouth water. "Dude, this puts the candy tavern to shame so badly..." Abel turned his head back to talk to me. "This lovely place has all of the necessary amenities of an average youth. Not to mention the chicks here are top notch." As he finished, he tried to throw a cool pose at a couple of girls that were standing close to us, and they simply rolled their eyes. However, as I passed by the same couple of girls, one of them actually winked at me, making me blush a little. _Dang, the girls here are really... Ahem... well-developed_, I thought. I did my best to not look at them too much, though. We were approaching the other end of the Bar room. There was a window and three people standing there. There was an emo-looking goblin with a crossbow, and a cloaked, hooded figure with a dark red aura. In addition, I noticed another person facing them. There was what appeared to be leaves on that person's head as opposed to hair, reaching down to their shoulders. Also, that person had green skin and had on a purple shirt and tan pants with long dark purple boots. By her figure, I could tell she was a girl. I watched as Alex slowly approached the girl from behind, while Abel walked straight in front of them. "So, what's new with the group?" he said, trying to be cool. "Nothing interesting", said the goblin in a nonchalant tone. "Besides, you're not exactly the type of person to even be remotely interested in such conversations", the cloaked figure said to Abel. "Aw, come on guys. I'm totally interested." "Oh, is that so? Given your track record, I would strongly disagree on that sentiment, Abel", said the girl I was looking at. "Jeez, you're cruel. What's eating you, toots?" He tried to put his arm around her, only to be kicked halfway across the bar. "I told you, Abel. I'm not interested", she said. Abel let out a groan as he tried to get up, sparking a few laughs from the other patrons. "Well, you still never cease to amaze me, Huntress", the cloaked figure said to her. "I swear, boys are all the same. Trying to pick up a girl only for their looks. Men are jerks." She hadn't yet noticed that Alex was right behind her, but the other two did. "(Snicker) Well, what about us?", said the goblin. "Yeah, we care about you, as does your trainee", said the cloaked figure, who was holding back a few chuckles. "We- Well you guys are different. At least you guys have sense. Alex, even though he cares immensely about us, is a bit too blank-minded to understand much of anything along the line of mutual feelings", she said. The two guys were snickering even harder. "And what's so funny?" She was about to find out why. "Well jeez, _Kari. _That's rude."

She let out a shocked gasp and quickly turned around. "I'll admit, i'm a bit oblivious to things, but blank-minded is just disrespectful", Alex said to her. "A- Alex..." The two looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds and I was expecting a hug or handshake again, only to be disproven yet again... well _partially_ disproven. In that instant, a loud smack was emitted from her hand which went straight across his cheek. The people in the bar let out a loud "Ooh!" as a result. "Uh, ow", Alex said. He probably would have said more, provided the girl hadn't embraced him in such a tight grip. "You _IDIOT! _We were worried sick about you, you numskull!" The other two walked over to Alex and patted his back. "Not gonna lie, we got a little discouraged there, commander", the cloaked figure said to Alex. "Bah! I wasn't worried" said the goblin. "Well, for someone who thinks men are jerks, you're not exactly proving your point right now", Said Abel from across the room. Her face turned bright red and she pushed Alex away. "I didn't mean to worry you guys, I swear. I would've gotten here sooner had a certain _someone _had been a bit more supportive!" Everyone turned and faced Abel. "Sure. Blame it all on me" Abel said. "So then", the figure started, "I take it you had a flawless escape plan?" "Eh, I kinda had to improvise a few times. In fact, I got some help from an unlikely source as well." The three of them once again turned their attention to Abel. "Wait... did he actually..." they all said unison. "Somewhat, but the greatest bit of credit goes to this guy over here", he said while pointing to me. "Hey! That's Finn, the legendary human!", Said the goblin. "Well, that's my name", I replied. "Finn, let me introduce you to my team. This is bolt, the goblin renegade." The two of us shook hands. "It's a pleasure, kid. One thing you should know about me, I'm an expert melee welder. If you ever need weapons or armor, just come to me!" "Likewise! I'm in dire need of a new sword, too!" Next, the Cloaked Figure approached me. "Greetings, Finn. I am Acellus the Phoenix, or Ace for short." "Finn, Ace is our tactician in the Underground", Alex said. "Being the only one of his kind left in existence, we made sure to make him feel like one of us." Ace nodded at Alex. Finallly, the girl that Alex surprised approached me. "So this is the Champion of Ooo, eh?", she said. "This is our communications officer, Huntress Wizard" Alex said. "We try not to call her by her actual name, though", Ace said. That might explain why he got slapped earlier. "Hm. You don't look like much of a fighter, though", she said while eyeing me. "Trust me, this kid is trained pretty well in both melee and hand-to-hand combat", Alex said. Huntress Wizard gave me a smirk afterward. "OK, but how good is he with a bow? Is he as good as you, Leader?" When she said that, the rest of the group started laughing. "Hey, Let's not go there! That was just a misfire and you know it!", Alex yelled out with a red face. "Please, Al. No offense, but you have the accuracy of a mole rat." "Ouch...", I said. "Now hold on! I may be inaccurate, but I'm sure as heck not blind!" They were arguing in such a childish manner, but it was still friendly nonetheless.

As they were talking, I decided to check on Jake. As someone who witnessed firsthand how overly competitive he can be, It was probably a good idea to make sure nothing bad was happening. Just as I reached the Arcade entrance... "**NOOOOOOO!**" Standing outside of the room, I could see Jake, who I could just guess, lost the game. "That ending was so much bull!" "Not my problem, bro. You lost, So pay up", said the kid he was playing against. "Ugh!" With that defeated groan, Jake gave up two of his cards to the kid he was playing against. As that was happening, I could hear the entrance of the tavern open up, but I didn't look over to see who it was. "Can you believe what just happened to me", Jake said as he approached me. "Yeah, I kinda can believe it dude." "Arrgh! Two of my most potent cards, lost to a noob! I can't take this, I need a minute." That said, Jake made his way to the far end of the Arcade to where the Restrooms were. _Poor guy. But what can you do. _As I was starting to enter the arcade, I could sense that someone was behind me. "Hey dude, you still wanna talk", I said, thinking that was Alex. "Well, well. You're senses are certainly getting stronger, aren't they", said a feminine voice from behind me. I recognized that sultry voice immediately, but I didn't want to believe it was actually who I thought it was. A pair of pale gray arms reached over my shoulders and locked me in close embrace, and I was floating off the ground a little. "So, what's new with you, _hero_?"

"M- Marceline?!" I was shocked beyond belief. "What's the matter, miss me?" She playfully hugged me even tighter, and I was blushing even harder. "I must say, puberty has been kind to you, hasn't it?", she said while running her hand through my hair. "Uh... Well, gee. I didn't think I was getting that old", I replied. Even after four years, Marceline could still embarrass me without even trying. Getting a good look at her, her hair was as long as it usually was, with her left eye hidden. She had on a dark blue "off the shoulder" shirt, blue jeans, and solid black boots. It was only till now that I actually paid much attention to Marcy's figure... not including the incident at her house that night... The guys in the arcade were just watching the whole thing unfold, and they couldn't take their eyes off her. "Hey! Quit staring!" Marceline let out with a menacing hiss. With that, they all went back to what they were doing. "How did you know about Minerva's Tavern?", I asked her. She looked at me with a smile. "Actually, I had only found out about this village a week ago. 2 days ago, I tried to visit you so I could show you my find, but you were gone." She stopped, and looked down. "Come to think of it, Bonnibel and Jake were nowhere to be found as well." She looked at me with a mischievous smile. "Were you adventuring behind my back and didn't tell me, Finn?" "N- No! Of course not!", I said. I took a couple of steps back out into the main room of the tavern as she got closer. "Are you sure? Because if you're lying to me, I won't be pleased", she said with her tongue lightly touching my cheek. Yep, even as friends, she still can strike fear into my soul. "Hey!" Jake suddenly appeared behind her. "Don't even think about touching him!" She simply chuckled and looked at him. "Oh yeah? Whatcha gonna do, big guy?" Jake hesitantly took a step back as soon as she faced him. "Uh- um, I'll bite you! Don't think I won't!" Marceline simply laughed at his suppressed fear. "Is that right? (Chuckle)" In that one instant, Marcy's Fangs grew twice as large as they usually were and she let out a heart-stopping hiss. "_BITE ME, JAKE!" _Jake's eyes shrunk out of pure fear, and right after... "AAAAAHHHHH!" ...he let out a girlish shriek and darted back into the arcade with the Vampire Queen pursuing him. "NO, NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY!" I couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing.

"Hey, Finn!" Alex came out of the bar room along with his team and with a big cup of soda. "You need anything? I'll treat ya", He said. "In just a second. I want you to meet somebody. Wait here." I ran into the arcade after Marcy and Jake. "Hey, Marceline!" She stopped for a second, giving Jake enough time to run inside the men's restroom and lock it. "Dang it, Finn! Why'd you stop me?", she asked. "Sorry, but I wanted you to meet somebody." We were making our way back to the main area. "Is this guy some mutant or demon, or a wimpy lump of flesh like some of your other _friends_?" I rolled my eyes at her. "Trust me, you'll like Alex. I guarantee it." I had just stepped outside of the room, but Marcy had stopped just before she got outside. "Alex? I haven't heard that name since...", she started to say. "What was that", I asked her. "Uh, nothing. I was just thinking about someone. I doubt you know who." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Hm. Well anyway, this is him. Looking left, she took one a good look at him and gasped. Alex turned to his right and dropped his soda on the floor. "Alex, what's wrong?", Ace said to him. He couldn't say anything, as he was choked up. I looked at Marceline, who reacted almost identically. "A- Alex...? Is that really you?" She slowly floated over to him. She looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Alex was clutching his forehead and his pupils shrunk. He looked as if his life had just flashed before him. "Marceline... Abadeer?" As soon as he let out that shaky question, he was locked in a hug that was practically like a vice grip. "Alex! It's really you!" Her voice was breaking somewhat as she said that. "Marceline... I- I remember you... but you look so different..." Marceline immediately let go of him, but she was a little shaky. "But... how? You shouldn't be here, Alex", she said to him in a shaky voice. Alex looked confused as ever. "What? Of course I'm here! I'm standing right front of you!", he replied. "N- No! I mean you shouldn't be _Here, period!_" Alex was about as lost as could possibly be. "Alex, what's going on", I asked him, but he didn't register my question. "Thi- This doesn't make any sense... Why wouldn't I be here?" Marceline looked like she was going to have a heart attack. "You... You really don't remember...?" Everyone looked at Marceline. "Alex... Y- You _DIED _almost a millennium ago!" The entire tavern went dead silent from her scream. Alex's team was stunned, Alex's face went pale and he was trembling. "What'd I miss?", Jake slowly came out of the arcade. Alex could only muster a few words out...

_"I... I died?! When did I... Die?"_

**And I think i'll cut it there for now. So with-**

**_Finn: Nooo! Why would you stop now?!_**

**_Abel: It was just getting good, bro!_**

**Relax. It's not the end of the story. So with this shell-shocking statement, the entire Tavern has been rendered speechless from shock. Just what does Marceline know about Alex, and vice versa? Find out in chapter 11! **


	12. Chapter 11: An Unfamiliar Truth

** Now things are really heating up in the Land of Ooo. How will this meet-up affect everyone, specifically Finn and Alex? Let's continue.**

_Alex's POV, Minerva's Tavern_

To be completely honest, up to now I had believed that nothing else would surprise me after this week… or so I thought. "(Munch) where's he going", asked bolt, who was eating some chili fries. "I'm not sure…" I said to him. "He said he wanted to introduce me to someone." The people in the tavern were mostly the same as usual, so I wasn't really expecting anything spectacular. "He certainly looked like he was in a rush", Huntress Wizard said. "Yeah... Finn is rather energetic now that I think about it." As I said that, I could hear someone about to leave the Arcade room. "Trust me, you'll like Alex, I guarantee it", he stated as he reentered the main room. I figured he was just going to get Jake or someone from Marauder Village. I was about to be proven very wrong. "Anyway, this is him", he said while pointing to me. In that instant a teenage vampire floated out of the arcade. She looked at me and gasped. I looked at the girl that followed Finn in silent surprise. _Wow, she's a friend of him? _I thought, but once I got a good look at her face, I froze. Everything went white around me, and within that white world, there was a little girl. She was holding a tattered bear in her arms and she was crying a little.

_Hey, are you okay, miss? _

_M- my leg hurts a little._

_Here, let me help you._

All of a sudden the area changed and the two of us were in a standing on a bridge over a fairly sized body of water, and she looked a little bit calmer than before.

_That should help your leg for a while. Just don't put too much pressure on it. _

_T- Thank you._

_You look lost. Are you having trouble finding someplace? _

My head was throbbing and my heart was beating insanely fast as this sudden wave of images flooded my vision. Now, the two of us were walking through a city street that was partially damaged.

_Well, this is the place. Do you need anything else?_

_I think i'm okay... but thank you so much, um..._

_Oh, my name is Alexander, or Alex for short. _

_Thank you, Alex... my name is Marceline. Marceline Abadeer. _

_You're very welcome, Marceline. Take care! _

_You too!_

That was the last thing she said before entering a large door which closed behind her. Once that last image was finished, there was another flash of white and I found myself back in the Tavern. "Wh- what the actual...", I said quietly. In my shock, I dropped my soda to the ground, which spilled out on the floor. "Alex, what's wrong?" Ace said to me. I was so choked up that I couldn't respond right away. In front of me was a girl that I had just met, but somehow knew... the problem was that I couldn't piece together _how_ I knew her.

"Alex... Is that really you?", she said. She was exactly how I viewed her in my brief vision, but just older. "Marceline... Abadeer?" Including a slight voice crack, I managed to force that out. The two of us stared into each other's eyes for half a minute until I was practically lifted off the ground. "ALEX! It's you! It's really you!" Upon her locking me in a bear hug, I could feel that her cheeks were wet a little. "Marceline... I- I remember you", I said. "But, you look so different." _What the crabapples is going on?! This... _I hadn't felt like this since Maja captured me... which was pretty recent actually (Go figure). "But... wait..." She let go of me and floated backwards in a shaky motion. "You shouldn't be here, Alex." As if to add insult to injury, she made the scenario that much more befuddling with that sentence. "What? W- Why wouldn't I be here? I'm standing right in front of you." I said to her. "No, I mean you shouldn't be _here_, period!" If this was anymore confusing the whole world probably would've imploded from the tension. "Alex, what's going on?" Finn asked, but I didn't acknowledge it. "This- This doesn't make any sense... Why wouldn't I be here?" I said to Marceline while trying not to raise my voice to much. "You... You really don't know, Alex?" By this point, we had the attention of everyone in the main area of the Tavern. The next few words that followed the short silence from me not answering her question would drive everything to the Nightosphere. "Alex... Y- You died almost a millennium ago!" The sound of a badly timed record scratch could be heard and all eyes were on the group of people in the junction of the Tavern. I was finding it very hard to process what I had just heard. _I'm sorry, WHAT?!_

_Finn's POV_

Question of the moment: How do you make a boy who is rarely emotional look like he accidentally soiled himself. Answer: Tell him that he was dead for a thousand years. "I- I died?!" Alex was sputtering out of shock. "When did I... Die?" There was a hint of blue in his face and he was trembling. "Hold the phone! Y- You know Alex?!" I said to Marcy. "How could I not know him!" She said to me. "Alex was quite possibly the first real friend I ever made. You... Haven't forgotten me, have you?" We all looked at him. "I... have not... but..." Alex was sweating bullets and he was shaking a little. "Commander, is everything okay", asked Bolt. "Marceline... When we met... I know we were very young, but... surely that couldn't have been 1000 years ago..." Alex managed to say. "I mean... It couldn't be..." Marceline floated up to Alex and grabbed his shoulders. "Alex, I wouldn't lie to you. The two of us were friends in the midst of an apocalyptic war. One that was responsible for your death!" Alex gently took Marceline's hands of his shoulders and stepped backwards. "No... No, No, No, No! There's no way I could have been alive during the Mushroom War. I'm only 23!" He said. That statement brought me back to when we were planning the prison break. _He did say he had lived to see 23 years despite his appearance. So then... What exactly IS going on...? _I thought. "And more importantly, I've never died! If I were indeed dead, I would know at least!" Marcy had her head down, which made her hair shield her face. "Alex... You couldn't have forgotten what happened then. I vaguely remember the same car that you were riding in with your dad explode right in front of me!" Alex's jaw dropped and he looked sick. "Wha- My... My dad?", Alex said. I could hear a few sniffles from Marcy. "Alex, you and your dad were heading back to your home when your car exploded on the same bridge we used to walk together on. There was no evidence of life at all! Don't you remember?!" I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat when I heard that. No one moved for almost a minute after her statement. Alex didn't respond to her question... or at least not in the way she wanted. All of a sudden, Alex suddenly made a mad dash out of the Tavern and back into the Village, practically knocking the doors off their hinges in the process. "Ah- Alex, wait!", Marcy and I yelled. The people in the tavern were simply staring at the doors that were swaying open and closed from Alex's rush. "Oh, no..." Ace said. Not wasting any time, Ace, Bolt and Huntress Wizard went after Alex while the three of us were still wondering what just happened.

"Whoa! What was that about", Jake asked. That sudden outburst from Alex left the entire Tavern looking at the three of us. "Alex..." I said quietly. "Marcy, what's wrong", Finn asked me. I was too lost in my own thoughts to respond to him right away. Grabbing a nearby umbrella, I flew outside of the tavern with Finn and Jake following behind. "Hold on, Marcy!" Looking down the street, I could see Alex holding his head and he was pacing in every direction as if he were dizzy. His team was getting more and more uneazy with every passing second. "What's happening", asked one of the locals. "He looks like he's in a daze", said another Local who was approaching him. Finn had ran up to Alex and tried to stop him from accidentally running over someone. "Alex, what's going on, bro?" Alex stopped for a minute after Finn said that. He then turned and looked at me. Although the two of us only looked at each other for a brief moment, I couldn't help but be amazed at how much he had changed... "I'm sorry...", Alex said as he held his head down, allowing his hair to cover his eyes. "I have to go." When he said that, I saw him pull a sword from out from behind him. All of a sudden, there was a bright blue flash and he was gone. Looking back at the mountain, the entrance still had the ripple effect as it normally does when people enter and exit. "Well... that was something else", Bolt said. "And I thought _you _were weird", said Huntress Wizard to Bolt. "Something is very amiss here. I must ensure that our commander is okay", Said Ace who proceeded to fly towards the entrance. "Hey, wait for us!" Bolt said as he and Huntress Wizard ran to the portal. After they disappeared, the three of us simply stood there, lost. "Jeez, talk about random..." I said. "You're telling me. How about you, Marcy", Jake said. Marcy didn't say anything. Instead, she floated forward a few feet before stopping beside me. I wasn't sure what was running through her mind right then, but she didn't seem happy.

_Marceline's POV_

"Finn", I started. "How do you and Alex know each other?" "Oh, well... the two of us have only just met", Finn said. "Earlier this week, I got kidnapped by a crabbit familiar working for a treasure hunter named Maja." When I heard him say that, I started to get a little heated. "Maja... As in Maja the Sky Witch?" "Yeah, that's her." I turned around, trying not to show my inner discontent with that name. "_Maja..._" I said in a low tone. Finn and Jake gulped as I said that. "Whoa.. You sound ticked", Jake said. I sighed and continued to speak. "It can't be helped, Jake. You see, When Ash and I were together, he sold my favorite teddy bear to Maja." Finn gasped afterward. "You... You mean the little bear that Simon gave you", Finn asked. "The exact one, Finn. I had Bonnibel's help to get him back before", I said. Finn looked at me again. "Before? You mean you don't have him now?" I had flashbacks of him reuniting with Betty when he said that. "I'... I'd rather not talk about that day" Finn looked even more worried now. "Anyway, you were saying earlier?" "Oh right", Finn said. "While in her prison, I met Alex there. He was being held prisoner just like me. The thing is he was there for five months just to comfort his friend, even though the stay was less than pleasing", Finn said to me. "Five Months?", Asked Jake. "Hm, you'd think he would be a little flabby or something." "You do not have any idea how devoted this kid is to staying in shape. When we were in the prison cell the first night, I watched him lift the underside of the bed with his feet while his back was on the floor. Also, he's got skills in several different fighting styles, so he doesn't lose his toughness", Finn said. I was a little surprised by his statement. _Dang, and I thought Alex was a pacifist... _"So with a little added help from one of his teammates, we then broke out of her house the next day. Afterward, he introduced himself to Jake and Bonnie, and the rest is pretty current." I nodded in agreement. "Well, that explains where you guys were this week", I said. "In a nutshell", replied Finn.

"But Marceline... How do you know him?", He asked me. I was already not in the best mood right then, but since Finn had met him, it seemed only fair. "Come with me", I said to them. They looked at each other and then did so. We passed through the portal back outside the mountains. With my umbrella shielding me. I apoke to them as we headed towards the village. "Alex and I..." I started to say, but stopped. Finn looked at me with a worried expression. "Are you gonna be okay, Marcy", He said. That was Finn for you: Always looking out for those closest to him. "Yeah. Anyway... Alex and I... were just ordinary kids stuck in a less than ordinary time.

(Flashback: Early 21st Century)

When we first met, I had cut my leg on some glass frome a broken street lamp. Alex came and made a tourniqet for my leg. After that, the two of us started to hang out a lot, even though we were very exposed.

I remember just how much the two of us loved to salvage stuff around the city we lived in.

_Alexander: So what do we need to find again?_

_Marceline: Hardware tools. If we could find a wrench at least, that should be enough._

The two of us were rummaging through a large Junkyard looking to rebuild a TV we had found.

_Alexander: (Grunts, Lifts Tire) Why would people get rid of stuff like this? It looks pretty cool..._

_Marceline: Yeah. (Moves broken picture frame) What's worse, most of this stuff isn't really "broken". _

_Alexander: Well they say one man's trash is another man's treasure. They don't know what they're missing. Yeah, see this? (Picks up Air Horn) _

_Marceline: An air horn?_

_Alexander: It looks brand new. Why would someone trash this-_

_(Loud Blare)_

_Marceline: Aah! (Covers ears)_

_Alexander: O.O... That's why... ow._

_Marceline: (Chuckles) Hey, could you give me a hand? _

_Alexander: Hm? Sure. _

He helped me in moving a broken clothes drawer aside. Alex was pretty strong for his age at the time. However, in comparison to his past self, he had actually become a little buffer.

_Alexander: Marceline, Look what i found!_

_Marceline: (Looks at Alex) Um... It's a film roll._

_Alexander: Not just any film roll, it's for a 60's grayscale camcorder! My uncle was looking for one of these for ages! _

_Marceline: Do you mean the one who you say always has wears a hat wherever he goes?_

_Alexander: Yeah. He tells me that he does it to keep spiffy, but really, he doesn't like that his head gives off a glare when light hits it. (Chuckle)_

_Marceline: Oh, He's bald? _

_Alexander: Sadly, yes. He got more hair on his face in one month than his scalp will ever have..._

_Marceline: Hmm... It looks like it's seen better days, though. Can you even still use this?_

_Alexander: It shouldn't be too big a problem to repair. I'll hold on to it. (Continues to search pile)_

_Marceline: You certainly know a lot about these things. (Throws can) Hey, Alex?_

_Alexander: Yeah?_

_Marceline: Do you ever think that being super smart isn't really a good thing? You know, like... is it tough?_

_Alexander: Kinda. Actually, there are times I wish that I weren't so smart. The Institution doesn't give me anytime to be a kid anymore... They just want me to become an adult without any distractions. _

_Marceline: Well, that's not fair._

_Alexander: Yeah, well... (Looks through drawer) Hey! How about this?_

_Marceline: Oh! You found one! It's a little rusty though._

_Alexander: Well, It's something. We can fix it when we get back, okay?_

_Marceline: Okay. Let's go back now. I'm sick of watching a blank screen every day!_

_Alexander: Last one back gets lunch! (Darts past me)_

_Marceline: Wha- Hey, no fair! (Runs after him)_

"The two of us had become friends with each other for about a year and a half. Despite the short time, we had grown very accustomed to living in a bad time", I said to them. "Hm. You two sounded like best buds, kinda like Finn and I. The two of them put their arms on each other's shoulders and I smiled. By this point, we had made it into Marauder Village. "It's funny. Aside from Simon, Alex was the first true friend I ever made. Sure he was a little too in depth with some things, but he was still cool to be around", I said. As I said that, my smile fell. "But what happened?" Finn asked me. I looked down at the shaded area of ground underneath me. "That day... That horrible day..."

_Marceline: Hi, Simon! (Runs and hugs him)_

_Simon: Well, I'm happy to see you're in a jubilant mood today._

Marceline: Hee Hee! Simon, this is my friend, Alexander.

Alexander: It's nice to meet you sir.

Simon: Likewise. But please, call me Simon.

The three of us met together on very special bridge. Whenever Alex and I were bored or feeling down, we would come there just to get away from our troubles. For a few minutes the two of them introduced each other and everything was well.

(Car pulls up)

_Alexander's Dad: Hey, Kiddo!_

_Alexander: Dad!_

_Alexander's Dad: You ready to go home? _

_Alexander: first, let me introduce to my friend, Marceline._

_Alexander's Dad: Hello, Marceline. You're the little girl that my son talks about._

_Marceline: Well, that's me. (Smiles) It's nice to meet you._

The similarities between Alex and his dad were very similar. The only difference was that he had less hair than Alex.

_Alexander's Dad: Oh, and you are...?_

_Simon: Simon Petrikov. Collector and preserver of antique artifacts. It's an honor to meet you, Sir._

_Alexander's Dad: Please, just call me Joe. (Checks Watch) Well we better get ready to leave. Nice meeting you two!_

_Alexander: (Turns around) I'll see you tomorrow, Marceline!_

_Marceline: Okay!_

_(Alex turns back around)_

_Simon: He certainly seems like an kind and intelligent young man._

_Marceline: Yeah... _

As I said that, Alex sent one last wave goodbye, then got into his dad's car and shut it. As he did, I turned back around to face Simon.

_Marceline: Oh! You said you had something to tell me._

_Simon: Ah yes. I meant to tell you that I found a very uniqe item today.I think you might just like-_

_Marceline: Eh? Simon... what's wrong?_

_Simon: Marcy, get down!_

All of a sudden, Simon yanked me to the road and shielded me.

_Marceline: Aah! Simon, what are you-_

_(Loud Explosion)_

There was a deafening bang and the bridge started to shake and I could smell smoke. I couldn't tell what happened, but I knew something was wrong.

_Simon: Are you okay, Marcy? _

_Marceline: (Shaking) Wha- What happened..._

_Simon: Someone fired a rocket at the bridge._

_ Marceline: A rocket...? Why would- (Gasp) Wait, where's..._

That's when it hit me. I pushed Simon aside and I bore witness to the horrible sight that was my friend's car in flames with parts scattered across the bridge. I looked at that view for a full ten seconds before...

_Marceline: N- No... Alex... **NOOOOOOOO! **_

_Simon: Marcy, stop!_

I tried to run to the car, only to be grabbed by simon from behind. I was screaming so loud that there were echoes around us. I was thrashing away at Simon in a fit of unreal sadness and anger.

_Marceline: (Sobbing) No! Let me go! Let me GO! _

_Simon: Marceline, you must calm down! You're gonna get hurt if you go out there!_

_Marceline: (Struggles) NO! I have to help him! I have to-_

With my face buried in his chest, I let out a muffled scream and the tears that followed were streaming like a river.

_Simon: (Hugging me) Marcy... I'm sorry..._

_Marceline: (Sniffles) Wh- Why him? Why Alex...?_

After a few minutes, there were police and paramedics on site. As the fires were put out, a couple of the officers told us the news that any signs of life were completely vaporized. As they put a blanket on my back, Simon faced the officers.

_Simon: There's nothing left...? _

_Officer 1: I'm afraid not. It's your classic wrong-place-wrong-time scenario._

_Officer 2:(Pats my arm) You two are lucky to be alive right now. _

As they walked back to the scene, Simon sat back down beside me. He did his best to try and comfort me, but it wasn't helping. I was trying my best to get a grip, but the emotional pain was just too much.

_Simon: Don't cry anymore, Marceline. Alex wouldn't want you to be upset._

_Marceline: (Sniffle) I... don't want him to leave..._

_Simon: At least we know he's in a happier place now._

As I looked into the reddish sunset sky, only one thought came to my mind in that moment.

_I wish you were still with me, Alexander..._

_(End Flashback)_

In that instant I fell to my knees with my free hand covering my mouth. I was trying my hardest to hold back tears. "I'm so sorry, Marceline", Finn said while putting his arm around me. "For what it's worth... I think you're still pretty strong willed" Jake said, making me feel a little bit happier. "You know, you guys are something else", I said to them. "Is it wrong to support a friend?" Finn asked. Returning a small smile, I nodded. "I wish there was something we could do for you", Jake said. "No, you guys had enough patience to hear my story. That's good enough", I replied. As I said that, Finn looked down. "That's just way too messed up, dude. The poor guy just barely got to say goodbye for one day only to be blown up in seconds... A goodbye was all he left you with...", Finn spoke. When he finished, I remembered something else that happened after the accident. "Actually..." Finn and Jake looked at me again. "Hm?" They said in unison. "That wasn't the only thing he left me with. After I stopped gazing at the sunset, something on the ground near me caught my attention. I walked over to it and found that it was the same Film Roll that we found in the Junkyard a couple of months before. It was smoking a little, but it was still intact. I still have that same roll sitting with the rest of my past heirlooms at home. Next to Hambo, it's one of only a few momentos that I really cherish from my past." Finn and Jake both smiled at me once I finished. "It's great that you never forget who your real friends are" Finn said. "Nowadays they're really hard to find", Finn said to me. That statement couldn't have been put any better. That said, we continued to move on out of the village.

_Finn's POV_

We were coming through the forest just outside of Maruder Village, and the three of us were as quiet as could be. The silence went on for a while until I decided to break it. "Well this entire day just went downhill quick..." I said. "He's certainly not one to take bad news well, obviously", said Jake. Moving about the forest, we approached a well-lit area with a small pond. "Perhaps he's just very sensitive about certain things?" "Or maybe..." Marceline started to say, which made us stop. "Or maybe, what?" I said to her. "Well... what if he's just running from the truth." "Eh?" Jake and I said together. "If Alex is really alive in _this_ time period, maybe he's been ressurected or something and he's trying his hardest to forget what already happened. It's understandable, but he knows that won't help him in the long run." We both looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Wow... You're not exactly much of an optimist when it comes to this kind of stuff", Jake said to her. "I just call it "Realism", Jake. Life hasn't exactly played out in my favor for the last few centuries, you know." Marcy said. "I'm sure he knows exactly what happened, but doesn't want to remember. But, Alex can't just deny the facts. He'll be able to move on a lot easier once he accepts that." We continued for a few more steps until I stopped, prompting the others to stop as well.

"Finn?", Jake asked. "What's eating you?" I couldn't help but disagree with Marcy's reasoning. "No... I don't think that's the whole reason." Marcy raised an eyebrow at me. "Really? What's on your mind, hero", She said to me. I walked over to the pond we were near. "Call me crazy, but I think that maybe something is preventing him from remembering what happened" I was looking at my reflection in the water as I continued. "When we were in Maja's Prison, Alex said that when he was about seven or eight he awoke in the middle of a wooded island and that he was badly hurt", I told them. "Hmm." Marcy puzzled my memory for a few seconds and then gasped. "Hold on! Alex was at least seven, or going on eight when the accident happened." That made me think even more about what I said. "Okay..." "So what's your idea, chief", Jake asked me. I turned to face my two friends. "Well... we think that Alex doesn't like to talk about or think about his past, but what if he really _can't _remember his past?" Jake and Marcy looked at each other in amazement. "I think that whatever happened to him when he woke up has something to do with him forgetting his past. Think about it, he obviously remembers you distinctly, but he doesn't remember dying in his past." Marcy looked up at the small breaks of blue sky and clouds above us. "I... I guess you could be right, Finn." I looked back at the pond. "Well it's only a theory... but that's what I'm going with", I said while rising back up. "I suppose there's no shame in opinions, I guess", Jake said. "I wonder..." As jake said that, we looked at him. "What's up", I asked him. "You reckon he's a vampire like Marcy? It would explain how he would be alive", He said. Marceline shrugged at his statement, wheras I shook my head. "I doubt he is one. For one, he can't levitate or fly like Marcy can" I said. "True... I guess we won't know until we see him again", Jake said. "Don't worry... I'm pretty sure we'll see him again soon. After that performance, he'll most definitely try to apologize for bailing out on us", I said to them. Marceline let a very small smile appear on her face. "I hope you're right, Finn. I just have to know what the fuzz happened to him... He is my friend after all." I couldn't help but be amazed with her sentence. _Whoa, I never thought Marceline would ever call someone a friend openly. She must really care about him..._ With that thought in mind, we started to head back towards the grasslands. _Hopefully whatever is going on between those two will get better..._

_Alex's POV_

There was absolutely no way to describe the emotions that were running through my head at that point. "(Sigh) None of this makes any sense. These sudden images, and Marceline... I had no recollection of any of this prior to today..." I said to my self. "...yet somehow, I seem to know her... I think." In my moment of confusion, I ran all the way to grassy cliffside peering out over the lake/river. I was sitting Indian-style at the edge of the cliff, letting the gentle breeze pass through my hair and the trees behind me. _What is happening? What does it all mean...? _"I found him!" A voice suddenly yelled from behind me. Looking behind me, Bolt was pointing at me while looking the other way. "Jeez, bro. You don't have to yell", I said to him. "Well, you kinda did just bail out on everyone in the tavern", Bolt replied. As he did, the rest of my team showed up. "What the blue heck was that all about?!", Huntress Wizard yelled at me. I could only sigh at her response. "I'm sorry, guys. I just lost my train of thought" I said. Both Ace and Bolt walked up beside me and sat down. "This isn't like you, Alex", Ace started. "Normally you don't run off like someone who's late for an appointment like that unless we're racing." "Yeah, what the heck happened back there? You looked like you were having a mental spaz, bro", said Bolt. "Mental spaz...?" I said to him. "Yeah. You know, as if you had seen something that had scarred you for life or something." Actually, that was a pretty good way of putting it. " "Seriously Al, who was that girl", Huntress Wizard asked me. Her tone sounded a lot less inviting than before. "Um... well", I started. I wasn't really sure how to put it. I had only just received this vision moments ago and she was hounding me like a private investigator. "The thing is... She was a- _IS_ a friend from my past... but the problem is..." Huntress Wizard raised an eyebrow at me. "But, what?" I sighed as she said that. "I- only just remember her. You see... I had a vision in the Tavern, and it showed both her and myself walking through a ravaged city. It seemed so surreal... but then she said that I had been dead for almost 1000 years time." Everybody looked at me in amazement, and Kari walked up to me. "I don't exactly know what's going on, but I think that-" Kari suddenly put her hand on my forehead which glowed a bright green. "Uhh... What are you-" She shushed me and continued her task. After 30 seconds she stopped and took her hand off. "He's telling the truth", she said, and the others nodded. I looked at them with an expression of shock and rage. "You thought I was lying to you?!" I exclaimed. "Why would you think that?" Bolt stuck his hands out at me. "It's not my fault, bro. They were questioning your actions pretty seriously", He said. I gave a hateful scowl at him, only to have it fall as Kari and Ace approached me. "Please don't take it the wrong way, Al. We weren't sure if you were okay or not", she said. "Indeed. You're not one to keep secrets from the rest of us", Ace said. I sighed as they said that. As a team we swore to never hide anything from each other. "I'm sorry. I know you guys were only looking out for me, but I wouldn't keep anything I knew from you guys. Moreover, I had no inkling of any of this beforehand, and now you guys know that too", I said, making them drop their heads in an apologetic fashion. At least we were on the same page now.

As they finished, I turned back towards the panoramic view beyond the cliffside. "I should go find those guys...", I said. "I think that would be in your best interest also", Ace agreed. There was just the problem of explaining to her about earlier. "You want us to come with?" Bolt said to me. "Nah. You guys just do you. I kinda need to work this out on my own." All three of them nodded and were about to leave, but then Huntress Wizard stopped and looked at me."Al, if something is bothering you, I'm here if you want to talk." Giving her a thumbs up and a smile I replied, "Sure thing, Kari." She rolled her eyes and turned around. She was actually smiling even though I couldn't see her face. As they walked away they were talking to each other softly, but I heard every word.

Bolt: (Troll Face)

Kari:What?

Ace: We saw that.

Kari: Excuse me?

Ace: They way you were behaving earlier and to Alex just now.

Bolt: And when we saw the girl that hugged Alex... You're jealous, aren't you?

Kari: Wha- I- No! Of course not!

Ace: It's cool to say it. It's not something to be embarrassed about.

Bolt: Yeah, lass. I know envy when I see it.

Kari: Ugh! I take it back. You guys suck too.

Ace &amp; Bolt: Hahahahahahaha!

I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Huntress Wizard liking me more than just a friend. Friends as are, I still just couldn't picture the thought of her actually feeling that way. After all, archers don't necessarily give off emotions at given times... but that was not a prime concern right now. Laying my back against the cool grass, I stared into the deep afternoon sky, thinking about what Marceline told me. _So my real dad did actually die... Thank goodness it wasn't the latter... _Knowing that I wasn't abandoned was a slightly refreshing thought. Still, I kept playing back that brief vision in my head. A piece of my past that I couldn't remember was know revealed to me. But questions continued to arise in my head as to what else she may know about me. "One way or another, I will find out just what happened to me as a child." I said to myself. I was starting to drift off to sleep as a cool breeze passed. As my eyelids started to close, one last event from recent popped into my mind. "You haven't forgotten me... Have you?" Shutting my eyelids, I gave a thoughtful answer in silence.

_Marceline, I swear... I haven't forgotten you._

**And that's a wrap!**

**For chapter 11 at least... A chance encounter with an fragmented memory has left Alex befuddled, to say the least. Just how much of his past does Alex not know about, and if Finn's hunch is right, what is hindering his memories? Find out as the story continues!**

**Reviews and PM's are always welcome!**


	13. Chapter 12: New Look, Same Attitude

**Guys, I apologize for the late update time. Screw college... Anyway, so with a new task at hand, Alex is determined to see his ambition to the end. That said, just how does he plan on going about said task? Let's find out.**

_Finn's POV, Grasslands_

5:00 P.M. The three of us had reached the Tree Fort pretty quickly in such short notice. Honestly, between Alex and Marceline, the passing days just kept getting stranger and stranger… and it was only going to continue. "So riddle me this, Just how well did you two get along", I asked Marcy. "Although you wouldn't think it, the two of us were very competitive with each other", Marcy said. "Oh, like you guys wanted to outshine the other?", I asked her. "Oh ho ho, you don't know the half of , Finn." As we entered the house, the three of us sat around the kitchen. "The two of us took pride in being one level ahead of the other. For instance, we each had skills in at least one subject that the other didn't. Physically, Alex was strong, but he wasn't very fast back then. Usually I would win in that regard." I àctually smacked my fàce with my palm as she said that. "He's strong but not very fast?" I said. "You should've seen him when we broke out of the Sky Dimension. He was hauling like nobody's business!" Marcy could only laugh àt what I said. "Ha, well he obviously has changed a lot." "So what else were you guys better at than the other?" Marceline let out a small breath before continuing. "It's funny, though. Where he lacked in sprint, he made up for it with intellect. Sure, I was pretty smart on my own, however Alex was _ridiculously_ smart for his age." "Was he now", I asked her. "The guy was doing pre-algebra by that point, which was crazy", Marcy replied. Honestly, I just figured he was really clever, but was he really that smart? "Jeez, I guess strategy really is his strong suit" I said. "You'd be right, Finn. When we played board and puzzle games, Alex always had the upper hand. He was so good that he was cheap...", Marceline said to me. "Then again..." She started to float towards the kitchen window. "Hm? What's up?" Looking at the moonlit sky, Marceline started to chuckle. "One real trait that we had in common was that neither of us took defeat well." I started to smirk as she said that. "Let me guess, he had a short temper, didn't he?" Marceline was holding back a few laughs after hearing that. "You have no clue, dude. In fact, I still remember one particular day..."

(Marceline's Flashback)

_Alexander: Okay... These are some crazy people in this city..._

_Marceline: Oh? Why do you say that?_

_Alexander: Why? There's a friggin' war going on, and we're in an arcade... a PACKED arcade!_

_Marceline: And your point is? _

_Alexander: Um, Well..._

_Marceline: You think we care about a war over our daily lives? Some of us actually want to just enjoy life. Besides, you said it yourself that your institution doesn't let you be a kid, right?_

_Alexander: (looks down) True..._

_Marceline: So... Be a kid! _

_Alexander: Whoa, slow down!_

Pulling his arm, the two of us went to the area of the arcade that the majority of the people were in. One of the funniest things that happened between us that day was when he flipped out over an arcade fighting game at a recreational center in the city I lived in. Surprisingly, fighting games were not his strong suit... emphasis on _NOT._

**_Game: Get Ready for the Next Battle!_**

_Marceline: I hope your ready to lose, buddy!_

_Alexander: Oh please. You'll be eatin' those words very soon!_

**_Game: Round 1... FIGHT!_**

Now unlike Alex, who plays using a controller as opposed to a joystick, I was a bit more used to the controls available to us.

**_Game: K.O!_**

_Alexander: Aw, what the-?!_

_Marceline: What's the matter? Too tough?_

_Alexander: Get real. You just got lucky._

**_Game: Round 2..._**

_Alexander: Now, get ready to get rocked!_

**_Game: FIGHT!_**

30 seconds later...

_**Game: PERFECT!**_

_Alexander: (Stares at game) Are you kidding me right now...?_

_Marceline: So... what was that you said before?_

**_Game: Player 2, Continue? 9... 8... _**

_Alexander: Oh No! I refuse to take that lying down!_

_Marceline: Bring it on!_

Man, the amount of salt that came after he said that was gut busting...

**_Game: K.O!_**

_Alexander: Dude, come on!_

**_Game: Great!_**

_Alexander: Wha- How th- B- Y... you only had 1% of your health left! How is that even remotely fair?!_

**_Game: K.O!_**

_Marceline: Teehee! Are you mad?_

_Alexander: Really?! Quit spamming the same move over and over!_

**_Game: K.O!_**

_Alexander: Grrrrrr..._

_Marceline: Spamming, huh? So... you ready to quit?_

_Alexander: NEVER!_

_10 seconds later_

**_Game: PERFECT!_**

_Alexander: (Eye Twitches) AAAAAAHHHHH!_

With that loud scream of defeat, Alex stormed away from the game and into the food court, sparking a loud uproar of laughter coming from the others in the arcade.

_Alexander: I'm done! **I'M DONE!** This game is so rigged!_

_Marceline: Come on, Alex. It's not rigged._

_Alexander: I lost TWELVE straight games in a row!_

Marceline: Pipe down, Alex. You can't win them all, you know... (stiffled laughter)

Alexander: ...whatever. I need a soda...

(End Flashback)

During that whole story, I was trying my hardest not to laugh. Somehow, all of what she said sounded way too surreal as to the Alex I know. "Actually, I could picture him doing that right now", I said to Marcy. "In fact...", I started while looking over at Jake. "I can think of someone else who would be just the same." I gave Jake the biggest troll face I could make. "Hey you know what? ...Screw you." Jake said as he walked out of the kitchen. Marcy and I simply laughed as he left the room. "Wow, you two held nothing back", I said to her. "Well we were just that good of friends in that time. It was like, nothing could stop the two of us...", Marceline said. I thought about Jake and I. The two of us had practically been through hell and back throughout our lives. Shoot, Alex and Marcy went through a war together. Those two were battle-hardened from the get-go. We were minding our own until Marceline yawned. "Tired?", I asked. "How observant, Sherlock." Marceline started to head for the exit. "I think i'm gonna catch some z's now. Do me a favor and let me know the next time you guys venture out. I haven't had any decent action in months." I nodded in agreement. "Later, hero", she said while closing the door behind her. She wasted no time jetting into the night sky. "Jeez, this whole week was something else..." I thought to myself. I walked into the den and sat down. "Hey, Jake", I called up to the bedroom. "What?", he replied. "What are the chances that we could just get a slow day tomorrow?", I asked him. "Not likely", Jake replied. "This week has just been one thing over another. I'll be convinced when it happens...", Jake trailed off before loud snoring could be heard. _Dang, it's only 9:00 and everyone's done for the day._ I figured I would just call it a night and head to the bedroom too. As I was getting ready to head up, there was a knock at the door. "Huh? Marcy's back?", I thought to myself as I headed to the door. I opened it, expecting it to be Marceline. "What's up dude, you leave something?" I said, only to have my mouth drop when I saw who it actually was. "Um, no dude. Sorry to bother you, but um... is Marceline here?"

_Marceline's POV_

(Yawn) "This was some day...", I said to myself. Entering my home, It was as quiet as it normally was. The solitude that I had was always inviting, what with the location of my home being as private as could be. I headed straight for the upper floor of the house straight into the bathroom. (Runs Shower) "Ugh... Jeez, I shouldn't be this tired..." I said. I was really pooped today as opposed to others. Stepping into the hot shower, I simply just sat down in the tub, something I don't normally do. Luckily, it was just me and my thoughts. _There's absolutely no way any of this today was coincidental. Alex... you just pop up out of nowhere like this and not know what happened... _The questions that arose in my mind as I just sat there as the steam filled the room just kept coming. How could a boy who I knew back in the middle of a war that took place almost 1000 years ago even be here in this time? Moreover, how is it that he looks like he barely even aged? I mean, he obviously died in that accident... didn't he? _Didn't he... _That one thought plagued my mind for about half an hour until I finally came back to my senses. I turned off the shower and floated towards the door, but not before stopping in front of the mirror above my sink. "Yikes..." I said as I looked at myself. The way my hair was fixed over my body was practically like a cloak, despite a few areas of me somewhat exposed (Not anywhere questionable, mind you). "Jeez, I look like Lady Godiva..." Grabbing an actual towel, I left the bathroom with that statement. Back in the bedroom, I slipped on a solid white Tee, and blue shorts. "I wonder what Alex is like now...", I said to myself as I floated over my bed. Life wasn't exactly one of my best friends, so to speak. After an eternity of bad luck, I figured I was due for a break eventually. _Maybe, just maybe... _That was the last thought that I had for that day before drifting to sleep.

(The Next Morning)

With a low yawn, I started to open my eyes. "Ugh, what time is it...?" Unlike others, I take pride in keeping a shaded home (For my own well being, of course). That said, I had no Idea sunrise had passed over 2 hours ago. I looked over at the digital clock beside me. "9:59...?" With a low grunt, I floated out downstairs. I was still half asleep as I was going down so it made for a somewhat tough journey down. Going into the dining room, I stopped in front of a shelf against a wall in front of me. Opening it, I pulled out a box full of red objects. An apple, erasers, cinnamon candies, even rose petals. "Ugh, I can't believe this is what i've been reduced to in culinary tastes", I said while pulling out the apple. "(Sigh) Well, bottoms up..." Just as I was about to bite into the apple, something caught my eye. "Eh?" To my right, I noticed that a few of the items around the room looked out of place. "Wait, was that vase always on the floor?" I said to myself as I picked up the vase and put it on a nearby nightstand. Looking around, there was a plate on the table that I was certain belonged in the kitchen. "Okay... I'm sure I didn't put this here last night." I picked up the plate and went into the kitchen. That's when things started to get unpleasant. "Huh? What's that?" In the space where the plate was supposed to be, there was a gray letter on the spot with the words "To my dearly beloved" written in cursive. Picking up the note, I wasn't really expecting anything spectacular... I opened it and skimmed though the notes. "I just wanted you to know, blah blah blah, I'll be coming over soon, blah blah blah, don't be surprised. Signed-" As soon as I read that name, the note just incinerated in my hands. I was seething over the whole thing. "Ash, you wretch! How DARE you come into my home overnight!" With that scream, I immediately started searching through my home to make sure nothing was gone. After about twenty minutes I stopped back in the kitchen. "Good. Nothing important is missing. But why the heck was he even here to begin with?!" That said, I floated over to the fridge for some punch, but just as I grabbed the handle, there was a knock at my door. "Ugh! Who is it now?" As I started to float over to the living room, my tempers started to flare up again. "Oh, it better not be him..."

_I sw__ear Ash, you better not be at this door! _I thought as I approached the door. I was under the notion that he most certainly was going to be right there. Without even opening it, I simply addressed the person behind the door as who I believed it was. "I haven't got time for the likes of you, miserable jerk! So unless you want to get torn limb from limb, **GET LOST** ", I yelled with my voice slightly demonic. I figured that would've definitely driven him off. As I was about to find out though... "Uh... O... kay... I didn't mean to bother you, Marceline. I- I'll just go...", a familiar voice said from the other side. I gasped as soon as I heard it. _Wait, was that...?!_ Opening the door, It turned out to be the last person I expected stepping backwards in a nervous fashion. "Alex?!", I said to him. "I d- didn't mean to offend you o- or anything**...** If I... Did...", he replied. The poor boy was sweating bullets and his face was ridiculously pale. Given his facial expression, I must have scared him straight with that scream. "A- Alex! I'm sorry! Please, don't leave!" "Um- You sure? I- If it's a bad time, I won't bother you. Believe me it's not-", he tried to say. "Stop, please!", I stated, cutting him off. "Please stay. I insist." With a quiet gulp, he gave an acknowledging nod and approached me. "I... wanted to apologize... for earlier. I shouldn't have reacted like that to you.", he said. "Oh... It's nothing, bro. I was kinda in the wrong for just being that blunt with you anyway", I said. "Um, do you want to come inside?" "Um, sure... If you're okay with it", he said. "By all means", I said, opening the door wider. Suddenly, I realized that I was still in my night attire. "Um, actually could wait here a minute? I kinda need to switch outta this." "Oh! Sure, take your time. I'm in no rush." With a nod, I shut the door and flew upstairs. After about ten minutes, I went back to the front door. _Is this seriously happening right now? _As I opened the door, I saw Alex had his arm out and was pointing at something. I wasn't sure what he was doing until a blue jay came and landed on his finger. The blue jay chirped in a calm tone and other birds around us chirped. He didn't seem to notice me open the door. "Hey, Alex", I called out to him from inside. Alex looked at me with the bird still on his finger. "Sorry for the wait", I said to him. "No probs", Alex replied. Opening the door all the way I asked, "Um... How do I look?" Alex looked a little flustered when I asked him that. "Wow, um... You look awesome", Alex managed out. _That's funny, _I thought with a smirk on my face. _Was he nervous? _"Well... you can come in now." Calmly, Alex walked into the living room of my house. Looking around, let out a low sigh. "What's wrong, Alex", I asked. "Does my house look bad?" "No, not at all", he said as he faced me. "It's just... I can't remember the last time i've seen a modern house around here." That statement made me smile a little. In comparison to the Tree Fort, my home was really the only house that looked "man-made". "Well, I try to keep it as friendly as possible. Though, I can't say I get too many visitors around here." He looked at me a bit confused. "Oh? Does it get lonely for you here?", Alex asked me. "Meh, it doesn't really bother me much. In fact, I prefer a private lifestyle anyway." I said. We walked into my kitchen and sat down. "Do you need anything to drink?", I said as I approached the fridge. "Oh, no Marceline. I'm okay." As he said that, he looked over at a picture of my dad and I. "Oh, is that your father", He asked me. "Oh. Yes, he is." Floating over to the small frame, I picked it up and looked at it. "Even though we love each other very much, we've been distancing each other for a while now", I said to him. "Really? May I ask why?" I looked at him with a small frown. "Yeah well, it's kinda hard to get close to a man who barely has anytime for his own daughter." I looked back at the picture. "What's worse, whenever he does decide to come, he treats me like a kid." Alex gave me a small smirk. "At least you can joke about it. Alas, some of us are not subject to such luxury" Alex stated in a quiet manner. As he did, I could tell that it was making him a little sad. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Alex. I could only imagine what was running through his mind right then. _I know exactly how you feel, Alex. One way or another, you won't have to worry about that, _I thought to myself.

Putting the picture back on the table, I floated back beside Alex. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?", I asked. "Well, it's about yesterday..." As Alex said that, he started to look away from me. "Yes, Alex?" "I was, um, kinda hoping I could get to know you a little better...", He said. "Really? Because you didn't seem to believe me at the tavern", I said to him while turning away. In actuality, I was just playing around with him right then. "Honestly, i'm really sorry. I don't really know what came over me then. The whole situation was just sudden", Alex said while scratching the back of his head. "And... you're not tryiing to trick me?" Alex gave me a serious face. "I swear, I wouldn't be here if I didn't care. It's just... I'm not really sure how I-" Alex looked down at the table. "How you what?" I asked him. "How I... could've forgotten you" After that was said, I remembered what Finn thought about when we were at the Tree Fort.

_Finn: "I know he doesn't like to think or talk about his past, but what if he really can't remember his past?"_

I sighed as I remembered that. I was being a little too vain now that I think about it. "Alex... I have to be honest about something." "Oh. Sure, what's on your mind", Alex asked me with a worried expression. "Well... I really can't blame you for reacting the way you did earlier. But, seeing you again after so many years was too crazy" I said. "Um, define _crazy_", he asked me. "Well... since i'm a vampire, I'm obviously older than I appear. I don't really think positive all the time being that I haven't had much of a break from the failure that is life. And then finding out that you're alive..." Alex looked shocked when I said that. "Your life is a failure? Marceline, look around you, you have a home, good friends, a father, and no boundaries whatsoever. At best, I can say that I have good friends alongside me, but as far as family goes... it's pretty empty. Also, you can remember your past life, something I couldn't do since I was seven!", he said. "And you think I have it good simply because of that?" I gave him a stern look. "Um, well..." "If anything, not being able to remember the past would be a godsend for me! Look at me Alex! I'm a 1000 year old vampire who, just like you, had it rough! I've been subjected to heartbreak, neglect, rage and loss time and time again! A millennium of regrets and hate piled up on each other! And everyone around me thinks they can sympathize with me when they have absolutely no clue what i've had to deal with!" I yelled at him. "I...", Alex started to say. "No one has any comprehension of my pain! No one!" With a hiss, I turned away from him as I said that. Honestly, I didn't mean to lash out at him like that, but- "Is that a fact?" Alex said in a somewhat angry tone, and I looked at him in shock. I couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious. "You try walking around in my shoes. The life of a rogue like me with absolutely no one but your own conscience is agonizing. At least you don't cause hardships for yourself. I've had to live with disabling and, in dire situations, killing others just to stay alive! Worse, i've had to live with the burden of a literal demon in my heart that I have no control over! An entity whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc on any and everything around me, at the cost of my own will!" Alex's fists were clenched so tight that I started to see veins in his arm. "I came _this_ close to harming someone I held too close to me just this week. Someone with a mission to protect the people nearly commits the unforgivable to his own friend! And there's practically not a thing I can do about it!" I was crushed when he said that. But as I was going to console him, something was off. His eyes weren't as green as they usually were. There was a hint of purple in them, but combined with his expression, it made him look very threatening. "(sigh) You've had 1000 years to at least cope with your problems, but in only 16 years, i've dealt with being left for dead, looting, war, torture, kingdom destruction, losing loved ones and unfortunately... slaughtering_, _all within a decade and a half." As Alex said that, the purple in his eyes faded and they returned to their normal shade. "I know you've had a pretty dismal life, but if you think no one can relate to you, think again", He said with a serious yet comforting tone. I almost wanted to beat myself up after hearing that. True, my problems were pretty bad, but I couldn't ignore what happened to him either. "Alex... I- I didn't know..." I wasn't sure what to say to him at that point. "It's all good, Marceline. I wanted you to feel like you weren't by yourself", Alex said. He was calm, but he was obviously wasn't hiding the fact that growing up was an uphill battle.

"Hey, Alex?" "Yes, Marceline", Alex said. "You said that you wanted to learn more about me", I said to him. Looking down, Alex started again. "Well, more about _us_. I was... kinda hoping I could find out more about my past through someone who actually knows me." He looked so nervous when he asked me that... it made me chuckle. "So, what did you have in mind?" "Well", Alex started as he faced me. "Maybe we could talk over a walk... If you're interested." I raised an eyebrow at him after he finished. "Surely you're not asking me out, are you Alex?" Alex's face turned a bright crimson and his face was just as comedic. "N- No! Of couse not! Eh... I just consider it a friendly outing, If you will." I was really surprised that Alex would take the initiative to even consider this. "Well..." I said while floating up. To be honest, I hadn't really planned on going anywhere today. "I dunno... I certainly wasn't going much of anywhere today, let alone getting any company", I said to him. "Oh, well... If you need time to think it over, take all that you need." Alex got up and made his way towards the living room. "If you need me, I'll be outside." A few seconds passed and I heard the front door close behind him. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to to do. On one hand, it could all just be a ploy and nothing more. But then... maybe it could be worthwile. _I may not get this chance again... _I thought. Meanwhile Alex, who was lying against a tree outside, was merely enjoying the nature around him. In comparison to his younger self, he was far more in-tune with the outside world now than before, where he wasn't much of an outdoor person. Picking up an Umbrella, I flew outside to him, where he was waiting. "Alex!" He looked at me with a smile. "Whoa, that was quick. So, what's the verdict", he said. I looked down for a second, and I looked back at him. "I'd... I'd really like to, Alex." I said.

"Sounds like a plan!", he exclaimed with a thumbs up. It was at this moment that I realized something very familiar about him. _That same posture, that same smile..._ Alex looked exactly the same as when we met on our bridge hangout those many years ago. He was older and a lot more rugged, but it really was the same boy I met back then. Side by side, the two of us were heading out on a... well, let's not say adventure, but just a friendly outing. _Maybe things are looking up, _I thought to myself, but then something started to bug me. "Um, Alex?" "Yo", he replied. "Quick question, how did you know where my house was?", I asked him. He smiled and shook his head. "Oh yeah... Actually, I didn't know. I kinda went to Finn and Jake's home to apologize last night, and I went under the impression that you would be there as well. Afterward, he told me where I could find you..." Alex then started to scratch his head again. "I didn't wake you up... did I?" "I took a breath of relief when he said that. "Oh, not at all. I was already awake. Um... sorry about that scream when you knocked on the door." The two of us laughed and we continued to go to the edge of the forest. As we did, the words from Finn yesterday started to pop in my head again... (_Finn: __I'm pretty sure we'll see him again soon. After that performance, he'll most definitely try to apologize for bailing out on us),_ and I just had one thought in mind.

_Finn, you clever little rascal..._

**Well, that was pretty straight forward. So it seems that despite almost being ripped to shreds by his childhood friend, Alex has succeeded in at least making up with her. Can the misguided rogue learn about his past through her, or will it take more than just her to truly unlock his bygone memories? Find out in the next chapter!**

**As always, Reviews and PM's are welcome**


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